Anthropogenic Noise Source and Intensity Effects on Mood and Relaxation in Simulated Park Environments

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Acoustic Ecology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Anthropogenic noise (e.g., aircraft, traffic, voices) negatively affects scenic evaluations and affective states.
• Previous research relied on pre-post measures, lacking real-time assessment of noise impacts.
• Understanding momentary effects of different soundscapes is crucial for environmental design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the immediate effects of anthropogenic noise on mood and relaxation.
• To compare the impact of different noise types (aircraft, traffic, voices) added to natural sounds.
• To assess whether natural sounds mitigate the negative effects of human-caused noise.

Main Methods:

• A time-series design with 15 measurements of mood and relaxation over 30 minutes.
• Participants (N=229) were exposed to randomized sound conditions: natural sounds alone, or natural sounds with added aircraft noise, ground traffic, or human voices.
• Varying volume levels of sound stimuli were used to simulate realistic exposure scenarios.

Main Results:

• Significant interactions between sound type and volume levels were observed for mood and relaxation.
• Anthropogenic sound conditions showed differing rates of decline in positive affect and relaxation.
• Natural sounds, when presented alone, did not show diminishing effects on mood or relaxation.

Conclusions:

• Human-caused noise significantly degrades immediate experiences of mood and relaxation.
• Natural soundscapes may offer a protective effect, mitigating the negative psychological impacts of anthropogenic noise.
• Momentary assessments provide a more nuanced understanding of soundscape effects than traditional pre-post designs.