Higher-Speed Traffic Noise May Up Stress, Anxiety

TOPLINE:

Listening to recordings of natural soundscapes may help reduce anxiety and stress, but adding in high-traffic noise can mask the potential benefit, new research shows.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers enrolled 68 adults (ages 18-42 years) from the University of the West of England Psychology participant pool.
• Three 3-minute soundscape files were used: A natural soundscape with bird songs and two mixed soundscapes combining natural sounds with traffic noise recorded at speed limits of 20 mi/h or 40 mi/h.
• Each participant was exposed to three rounds of a stressor video for 1 minute and a soundscape playback of 3 minutes, then answered questions after each exposure.
• Subjective stress and pleasure scores (hedonic tone) were measured using the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology Mood Adjective Checklist, and anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scale.

TAKEAWAY:

• Natural soundscapes were strongly associated with the lowest levels of anxiety and stress, whereas mixed soundscapes with 40 mi/h traffic noise were associated with the highest stress (P P 
• Higher pleasure scores occurred after exposure to natural soundscapes, but these scores decreased when the natural soundscapes were combined with 40 mi/h traffic noise.
• Traffic noise masked the positive impact of a natural soundscape on stress and anxiety in participants irrespective of age, sex, or a predisposed preference for natural environments.

IN PRACTICE:

“Our study shows that listening to natural soundscapes can reduce stress and anxiety, and that anthropogenic sounds such as traffic noise can mask potential positive impacts,” the investigators said in a press release. “Reducing traffic speeds in cities is therefore an important step toward more people experiencing the positive effects of nature on their health and well-being,” they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Lia Gilmour, University of the West of England in Bristol, England. It was published online on November 27 in PLOS One.

LIMITATIONS:

The study primarily used a student participant pool, which may have introduced inherent biases, as participants may have been predisposed to favor natural soundscapes because of their age, sex, or backgrounds.

DISCLOSURES:

The study did not receive any specific funding. The investigators reported no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.