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Effect of Faint Road Traffic Noise Mixed in Birdsong on the Perceived Restorativeness and Listeners’ Physiological Response: An Exploratory Study

Author

Listed:
  • Yasushi Suko

    (Department of Natural Environmental Studies, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha 5-1-5, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8563, Japan)

  • Kaoru Saito

    (Department of Natural Environmental Studies, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha 5-1-5, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8563, Japan)

  • Norimasa Takayama

    (Office of Diversity Promotion, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsumoto, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan)

  • Shin’ichi Warisawa

    (Department of Human and Engineered Environmental Studies, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha 5-1-5, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8563, Japan)

  • Tetsuya Sakuma

    (Department of Socio-Cultural Environmental Studies, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha 5-1-5, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8563, Japan)

Abstract

Many studies have reported that natural sounds (e.g., birdsong) are more restorative than urban noise. These studies have used physiological and psychological indicators, such as the skin conductance level (SCL) and the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS), to evaluate the restorative effect of natural sounds. However, the effect of faint background noise mixed with birdsong on the restorativeness of birdsong has not been described yet. In the current experiment, we examined whether traffic noise affects the perceived restorativeness and the physiological restorativeness of birdsong in a low-stress condition using the SCL and the PRS. The scores of the PRS showed that birdsong significantly increased the perceived restorativeness of the place regardless of the car noise, but no significant difference was found between these two birdsongs. In contrast, physiologically, the birdsong without car noise decreased the participants’ SCL significantly more than the birdsong with car noise did. These results indicate that the SCL would be useful to detect the effect of background noise on natural sound when the noise is too low to affect the perceived restorativeness. This study highlights the importance of measuring the SCL besides assessing perceived restorativeness to describe the characteristics of restorative natural sound in future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Yasushi Suko & Kaoru Saito & Norimasa Takayama & Shin’ichi Warisawa & Tetsuya Sakuma, 2019. "Effect of Faint Road Traffic Noise Mixed in Birdsong on the Perceived Restorativeness and Listeners’ Physiological Response: An Exploratory Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:24:p:4985-:d:295381
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jesper J. Alvarsson & Stefan Wiens & Mats E. Nilsson, 2010. "Stress Recovery during Exposure to Nature Sound and Environmental Noise," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-11, March.
    2. Masahiro Horiuchi & Junko Endo & Norimasa Takayama & Kazutaka Murase & Norio Nishiyama & Haruo Saito & Akio Fujiwara, 2014. "Impact of Viewing vs . Not Viewing a Real Forest on Physiological and Psychological Responses in the Same Setting," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-19, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Peng Cui & Tingting Li & Zhengwei Xia & Chunyu Dai, 2022. "Research on the Effects of Soundscapes on Human Psychological Health in an Old Community of a Cold Region," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-16, June.
    2. Norimasa Takayama & Takeshi Morikawa & Kazuko Koga & Yoichi Miyazaki & Kenichi Harada & Keiko Fukumoto & Yuji Tsujiki, 2022. "Exploring the Physiological and Psychological Effects of Digital Shinrin-Yoku and Its Characteristics as a Restorative Environment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-18, January.
    3. Yasushi Suko & Tomoharu Shindo & Kaoru Saito & Norimasa Takayama & Shin’ichi Warisawa & Tetsuya Sakuma & Masaaki Ito & Pasi Kytölä & Tapio Nummi & Kalevi Korpela, 2022. "Alleviating Surgeons’ Stress through Listening to Natural Sounds in a Half-Encapsulated Rest Space after an Operation: A Pilot, Longitudinal Field Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-17, October.
    4. Yun Shu & Chengzhao Wu & Yujia Zhai, 2022. "Impacts of Landscape Type, Viewing Distance, and Permeability on Anxiety, Depression, and Stress," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-22, August.

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