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NOISE.
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Discusses how it affects human behavior and health.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Discusses how it affects human behavior and health. Exposure to noise as a public health risk. Environmental noise and its effect on hearing. Rising community noise levels. Exposure to transit noise; physiological responses. Discusses findings of several studies in negative impact of noise on schoolchildren, women and men. Need to reduce environmental noise.
Paper Introduction:
How noise affects human behavior
Noise is sound which is unwanted, either because of its effects on humans, its effect on physical equipment, or its interference with the detection of other sounds (Cannella, Meconi, Percoco, Comi and Graziani, 2000). It is part of environmental pollution, and under certain circumstances, can cause problems for the general population. Unsuitable exposure to noise for even short periods of time is responsible for symptomatology involving the ear, cardiovascular, muscular and digestive systems via the connection between the central and the autonomous nervous systems.
Exposure to noise constitutes a risk to public health, and there is sufficient scientific evidence that noise exposure can induce hearing impairment, hypertension, ischemic heart disease,
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Am. References Cocilovo, A. If colors can have such aneffect on behavior, then it is important how we use them in every aspect ofour daily lives, from dress to furnishings, to office decor, to the colorof paint used in public buildings. Appl.Psych., 85, 779-783. Anunderstanding of the psychological effects of colors is necessary whenplanning work and living environments to support activity or rest,agitation or calm. Results indicated that the use of hearing protectiondevices was related to noise exposure level, but more so to high annoyance,even after control for age, education and ethnic origin. Green isknown to have a calming effect. F., Berglund, B., & Head, J. Ann. Psychol. Environ. Exposure to transport noise disturbs sleep in the laboratory, but inthe community, people usually adapt to it (Stansfield, Haines and Brown,2 ). However, it alsoaffects behavior. A significant increase in symptoms with noiseexposure level was noted only for workers reporting high annoyance at thatlevel. Maxwell and Evans (2 1) have recently shown a link between chronicnoise exposure and poor reading skills. These findings suggestthat the wearing of hearing protection devices was determined by noiseannoyance, rather than noise level. He recruited 8 female clerical workers and piped intypical office background noises - conversations, typing sounds and ringingphones - to half of their offices as they worked. (2 ). Noise, noise sensitivity and psychiatricdisorder: epidemiological and psychophysiological studies. Noise exposure is onthe increase, both in industrialized nations and in the developing world.There is a pressing need for continued research, particularly in so far asnoise affects the cognitive functioning of children, and its effects on thecardiovascular system, since heart disease is a major cause of death indeveloped nations. S. P. If color therapy is all it is claimed to be, it is easy to see how itcan have profound effects on human behavior. Noise exposure,noise annoyance, use of hearing protection devices and distress among bluecollar workers. Children at a school near anairport where planes flew over the school on average every six minutes,with classroom noise levels of 9 dB, had poorer reading skills than thosefrom quieter schools. In this respect, a study by Tin and Lim in2 looked at whether discotheque music affects the hearing by exposing 48young volunteers to discotheque music in two discotheques and evaluatingtheir degree of auditory fatigue after exposure. While younger children in day care appear to be able toadapt to chronic noise exposure, and actually perform better in noisysituations than those from quieter environments, the advantage is lost aschildren reach school age. Health, 2 , 294-3 . In the quieter setting, children had better language skills andbetter puzzle solving abilities. Passchier-Vermeer, W., & Passchier, W. The children from the noisy school were also notgood at distinguishing speech masked by white noise, but could distinguishspecific sounds, such as a cat meowing or a baby crying. New color therapies are emerging, including Colorpunctureand Chromopressure using these principles. Sci., 28, 629-635. Research on memory has shown that while noise has little effect onsimple memory, it can interfere with more difficult tasks (Maxwell andEvans, 2 1). (2 ). The workers toiling innoisy environments showed increased levels of the stress hormoneepinephrine, but few of the participants reported feeling particularlystressed. Acupunct., 27, 71-83. Maxwell and Evans (2 1) looked at the nonauditory effects of noise onchildren in child care centers. Noise and communal dining facilities. J.Med. Exposure to noise constitutes a risk to public health, and there issufficient scientific evidence that noise exposure can induce hearingimpairment, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, annoyance, sleepdisturbance, and decreased school performance (Passchier-Vermeer andPasschier, 2 ). M., & Roettger, R. How noise affects human behavior Noise is sound which is unwanted, either because of its effects onhumans, its effect on physical equipment, or its interference with thedetection of other sounds (Cannella, Meconi, Percoco, Comi and Graziani,2 ). The degree of threshold shifts did not seem to berelated to the volume of the music or to auditory fatigue. Questionnaire interviewsrevealed that the majority of study subjects visit discotheques regularlyand that a high proportion of those attending the louder ones found themusic too loud. Most physiological responses to noise habituaterapidly, but in some people, this does not occur and the response persists. E., & Evans, G. In a recent studyin a day care center, the authors studied children's skills before andafter sound reduction by installation of sound absorbent panels in thecenter. Since chronic noise can have effects onbehavior patterns, even in early childhood, continued efforts need to bemade to reduce environmental noise wherever possible to reduce its negativeeffects on the health and well-being of modern society. Asia Pac. At this age, children from quieter environmentsare able to screen out background noise and concentrate on discriminationtasks, whereas those from noisy environments screened out noise in a lessdiscriminating way and missed important clues. Their adaptation to noisyenvironments left them unable to discriminate between meaningful andbackground noise. Haines, M. Chronic exposure to high levels of aircraft noisewere found to be associated with higher levels of noise annoyance and lowerlevels of reading comprehension measured by standardized scales andadjusted for age, deprivation, and main language spoken. Lipscomb, D. They review the literaturewhich shows that exposure to noise can make children more vulnerable tolearned helplessness, which means that they learn that the outcomes oftheir behavior are independent of their own actions. Infants in noisy homes often show less mastery-orientedplay than those in quieter homes. Ghadiali's system fits in well with traditional Oriental medicinetheory, relating colors to the internal organs and the meridian system.Recent Russian research has shown that light is conducted within the bodyalong the acupuncture meridians, according to Cocilovo, suggesting thatacupuncture meridians may function as a light (photon) transferal systemwithin the body. Rev. Environ. M., Stansfield, S. Color has psychological effect which have been found to be universaland may have profound effects on our behavior (Grevis, 2 1). Males reportingannoyance with exposure to noise had a significantly higher percentage ofaccidents when exposed to moderate noise levels and a marked increase insick leave at high noise levels. Evans concluded that workers tend to get used to the sounds and so becomeunaware of the possible detrimental effects. Environmental noise had increased to a point where it affected largenumbers of people, with its most consistent effect being that on hearing,even as early as the 197 s (Lipscomb and Roettger, 1976). W. Noise and health inthe urban environment. The study also suggests that intervention procedures shouldconcentrate on unannoyed workers who tend to use the protection devicesless. He used his background in mathematics and physics todetermine specific attributes of colors of the spectrum as they affecthuman physiology. Grevis, M. Blue stimulates the complementary system,the parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers blood pressure and inducescalm. Attention deficit is often seen in children exposed tochronic noise. However, the workers in the study did have difficulty stayingfocused, indicating that a noisy, distracting office might disruptmotivation. P.(2 ). Red stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, whichraises our readiness for action. J. Studies have shownthat children in schools in noisy areas are less motivated to work, areless likely to solve challenging puzzles, and abdicate choice of a rewardto the teacher. Scand. Med.,Suppl. This study emphasizes the necessity to try and reduceeven moderate noise levels, even though they are not considered harmful tohearing. While noise annoyanceaggravates existing psychiatric disorders, there is evidence that thetendency to noise annoyance may be a risk factor for psychiatric problems(Stansfield, 1992). It is part of environmental pollution, and under certaincircumstances, can cause problems for the general population. Claims have been maderecently that the wearing of tinted glasses helps some dyslexics to read.Tinted glasses are also thought to help prevent migraine headaches, whichcan be crippling. Since color has been deemed importantsince ancient times, and certain colors have been proven scientifically toaffect human behavior, no doubt future research will reveal the beneficialnature of more of them. (1992). Evans, G. S. It is not just adults who suffer from the effects of noise. Community noise levels continue to rise due toincreased industrialization, increased traffic, and work- saving machinery. (2 ). (2 1).Color Therapy Introduction.http://www.internationalassociationofcolorur.com/colour_therapy.htm References Cannella, C., Meconi, S., Percoco, A., Comi, R., & Graziani, M. The effect is brought about by regulation of the pinealgland, which modulates production of melatonin and serotonin, the moleculesresponsible for the sleep-wake cycle. In the beginning of the 2 thcentury, a sophisticated system of color therapy was designed by Dr.Dinshah Ghadiali. (1994). No interactionwas found between noise level and noise annoyance. They found that noise had deleteriousphysiological effects, raising blood pressure, an effect that carries overinto adulthood and causes cardiovascular disease. They were also less likely to make proper adjustments to theirchairs and workstations, which can lead to musculoskeletal health problems. Noise exposure andpublic health. A., Job, R. Effects such as stress reactions, irritability, fatigueand disturbances to physiological functions are particularly prominentamong industrial workers. In public eating places, noise comes from three sources: the operation ofcooking machinery; the banging of pans and equipment; and the voices ofstaff and diners. Evans set out to see how low-intensity noise affectspeople working in open spaces without separate offices or cubicles (Evansand Johnson, 2 ). Melamed, S., Rabinowitz, S., & Green, M. In a study conducted at Cornell University, environmental analysisprofessor Gary W. In westernsociety, the colors are often related to the eastern concept of chakras(Grevis, 2 1). J. Color light therapy: overview in history,theory, recent developments and clinical applications combined withacupuncture. Many of his concepts have been confirmed by laterresearch studies and initiated new interest in the use of new systems forthe application of light therapy, including irradiation of acupuncturepoints. The prevalence of tinnitus was high in those attending thenoisier discotheque. In studies conducted on psychiatric patients and normal controls, noisesensitivity was related to higher tonic skin conductance and heart rate,and greater defense/startle responses during laboratory noise exposure.Noise-sensitive people pay more attention to noise, discriminate morebetween noises, find noises more threatening and out of their control, andreact to and adapt to noises more slowly than less noise-sensitive people. The workers experienced low [< 75 dB (A)], moderate [74-85 dB(A)] or high {> 85 dB (A)] noise levels in their work. Psychol. They interviewed 168 male and 688 female blue collarworkers. Higher noise exposure levels were associated with increasedaccidents and sickness for both males and females. They also foundmotivational effects of noise on the children. Health Rev., 5, 67-96. All the distress symptoms were higherfor females than for males. Noise has been found to interfere with complex task performance, tomodify social behavior, and to cause annoyance in many people. Blue,associated with the throat area, is related to speech and spiritualintegrity; deep blue (indigo) is at the brow and is believed to harmonizethe whole personality and open the way to higher awareness; and a the crownis violet, which shades off into magenta, believed to be the color of afree spirit. Maxwell, L. Pun.Health, 12, 37-4 .How color affects human behavior Light therapy dates back to ancient Egypt and is used today to treatseasonal affective disorder (Cocilovo, 1999). The use of hearingprotection devices was associated with lower distress symptoms among lowand moderately annoyed workers, but among highly annoyed workers, thereverse was true. They also examined whetherworkers expressing high noise annoyance were more adversely affected by itthan those not. Noise-annoyed workers even wore their hearingprotection devices in the presence of low noise levels. F. The noise levelexposure was estimated at 91dBA to 98dBA for weekly exposure and 85 dBA to92 dBA for monthly exposure. If its levels do not decrease with the light of day,lethargy and depression ensure, leading to seasonal affective disorder.The opposite condition can occur if melatonin production is reduced due toprolonged exposure to artificial light, and in children can lead to theearly onset of puberty since melatonin has an inhibitory effect on thesexual response. Haines,Stansfield, Job, Berglund and Head (2 1) looked at the effects of aircraftnoise on schoolchildren. Aircraftnoise and road-traffic noise exposures are associated with psychologicalsymptoms and with the use of psychotropic medications, but not with theonset of clinically defined psychiatric disorders. Mental health and cognitive testswere administered in groups and salivary cortisol was measured insubsamples of children. (1999). Stress and open-office noise.J. For male subjects, noise exposure level affected dissatisfaction andpost-work irritability, and for females it also intensified somaticcomplaints, anxiety and depression. Cannella, Meconi, Percoco, Comi and Graziani (2 )believe that measures should be taken to curb noise in public eatingplaces. J. A further study in 1994 by Melamed, Rabinowitz and Green tested thehypothesis that in high noise levels [> 85 dB (A)], hearing protectiondevices are used largely by workers sensitive to noise, as reflected byreports of noise annoyance, and that the usage would reduce stresssymptoms. Darkness stimulates melatoninproduction, and under normal circumstances is conducive to healing duringthe sleep cycle. Noise affects different people in different ways For instance,Melamed, Luz and Green (1992) looked at the effects of chronic industrialnoise exposure on psychological distress symptoms, accident involvement andsickness absence among male and female workers. (1976). A study on the effects ofdiscotheque noise on the hearing of young patrons. Tin, L. 22, 1-44. Sixty percent of the workers usinghearing protection devices were highly annoyed by the presence of highlevels of ambient noise. This suggests that workersare often unaware of their stress levels and points out the subtle butharmful motivational and physical effects of being surrounded by noise.This means company management must be wary of self-reported stress and jobsatisfaction levels. There is also limited evidence that noise can effectchanges in the immune system and cause birth defects. Childrenare also victims of noise pollution in our modern world. Red is considered to be associated with the physicalstatus of the person and related to the first chakra; orange is related tothe sacral chakra and is associated with joy and recovery from trauma inthe emotional area; yellow is associated with mental clarity in the chakraat the solar plexus; and green is considered the color for harmony andbalance on all levels, and is related to the chakra of the heart. Exposure to highlevels of aircraft noise was not related to any mental health problems.This study showed that high levels of aircraft noise disturbs children andinterferes with their reading comprehension, suggesting changes in theirbehavior due to the noise. (2 1). (1992). Med., 31, 65-77. The study suggested that to avoid hearingloss, patrons should limit their frequency of visits to discotheques, oravoid visiting them altogether. They looked at the cognitive performance of 34 children aged between 8 and 11 years attending four schools in highaircraft noise (16 h outdoor Leq > 66 dBA) areas and compared them withchildren attending four matched schools exposed to lower levels (16 houtdoor Leq <57 dBA) of aircraft noise. Recreational activities also result in exposure to highlevels of sound with greater frequency and for longer periods of time(Lipscomb and Roettger, 1976). Chronic aircraft noise exposure, stress responses, mental healthand cognitive performance in school children. W., & Johnson, D. Seasonal affective disorder is readily cured by sitting in front of abright light (1 , lux) for about half an hour in the morning and evening(Grevis, 2 1). These results suggest that perhaps for highly annoyedworkers, the hearing protection devices were an additional source ofstress. Design of child care centersand effects of noise on young children.http://www.designshare.com/Research/LMaxwell/NoiseChildren.htm Melamed, S., Luz, J., & Green, M. Ig., 12, 315-322. Data was collected from 1587 healthy male blue collar workersand included noise exposure level, noise annoyance, use of hearingprotection devices, distress symptoms such as somatic complaints andpoststress irritability, and possible confounding by age, education andethnic origin. Irs. Noise and public health.Pub. Since the 196 s, it has been common practice to expose prematurebabies to blue light to prevent life-threatening jaundice because bluelight helps break down bilirubin (Grevis, 2 1). Many forms of color therapy are now in use, including the use ofcolored lights, acucolor (combining acupuncture with light pens) and colortouch, an ancient North American Indian form of healing. (2 ). (2 1). A. The nonauditory effects studied here werealready prevalent at moderate noise exposure levels, especially among noise-annoyed workers. Health Perspect., 1 8, 123- Stansfield, S., Haines, M., & Brown, B. Unsuitableexposure to noise for even short periods of time is responsible forsymptomatology involving the ear, cardiovascular, muscular and digestivesystems via the connection between the central and the autonomous nervoussystems. W. Other colors act on the psyche within these two extremes. The military has found that shining light onto a non-visual part of the retina can prevent sleepiness over a period of 48 hours,and the use of strobed light in a sleeper's eyes has been found to stopsnoring. Health, 15, 43-82. Noise exposure, noiseannoyance and their relation to psychological distress, accident andsickness absence among blue collar workers - the Cordis Study. Work Environ. Stansfield, S. L., & Lim, O.
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