The Psychology of Sound

The Psychology of (Sound) Introduction Sound affects the way we live our lives in so many ways - many more than you could possibly imagine. Read on to explore the fascinating psychology of sound. (cPeraption) Perception is the way we see, hear, or interpret something through the use of our senses. The way we use pitch completely alters the way our words can be perceived. The exact same sentence could be used but by altering the frequency in places, we could be seen as making a statement, being sarcastic, asking a question or more. For exomple.. "A woman without her man is nothing "A woman; without her, man is nothing Perceptions would also differ if we were to whisper a sentence softly, or SHOUT IT AGGRESSIVELY! 1/00F! In movies, punches that are thrown often miss by a foot or more - but when sound effects are added, along with effective enough acting - our brains are convinced that the punch is 'real THUD! Euperiment. In an experiment carried out by Ecker and Heller, identical clips were shown to participants of an animated ball on screen with two differing background noises, one with the sound of a marble rolling, and other with the sound of a basketball bouncing ONLY 72% 30% 20% of respondents in their of respondents of respondents saw trial said that the perceived the motion the motion of rolling marble rolled faster. as a roll' when the when the sound of the even though they were the same clip. basketball bouncing was playing sound of the marble rolling was playing. This research shows how sound affects our perception of: depth, speed and motion (( Mood Emotion ) Sounds can also be interpreted dramatically differently depending on the mood we're in or the emotions that we're experiencing. On a Bad Day On a Good Day If you're having a particularly Alternatively, these things- particularly the latter two - may put you in a good mood depending on how the week has stressful day, the sound of phones ringing, colleagues gossiping or loud music playing may all be infuriating panned out. Music... Music is often linked to memories - even distant ones - and when a particular song comes on it can instantly change the mood youre in. This often depends on whether it reminded you of the good times or the bad, and whether you miss those times, you want to relive them or that you're happy you've experienced them. Listening to music because of the emotions it evokes is known as Cognitive eppraisel At The Movies... Emotion is something that is regularly influenced by sound. This is something that is used extremely effectively in filmmaking. The background music alone can change a scene from a tense, scary affair to an act of comedy. The screeching sounds used in Psycho and the crashing chords of Jaws heighten suspense and terror by tapping into our instinctive fears Science bit. Music also stimulates activities of the amygdala, which regulates emotion and even the brain stem, which is the centre for many of our vital functions such as breathing, heart rate and digestion Music Therapy Interesting stories have been recorded in various fields, such as a woman suffering from Parkinson's disease having improved balance whilst walking - even finding it hard to stop herself from dancing - whilst listening to ceitain music. Music therapy has demonstrated effectiveness in treating many neurological conditions such as: Parkinson's Alzheimer's Strokes Brain injuries Anxiety Depression Concentration and Productivity Virtually all sounds have a negative impact on concentration. Anything to draw the ears and the mind away from the task at hand is something to try and shut off. Research... A study carried out at the University of Nebraska showed that volume isn't necessarily the only factor.when it comes to causing a distraction and reducing a person's concentration. It's this reason that when learning researching or revising, that it's best done completely in silence. But... When it comes to being productive, different types of music can help in certain ways. Much of the boost in productivity comes from an uplift in mood, particularly if you're working in a monotonous area such as on the production line. Dr. Lesiuk, from the University of Miami, found that, in a study involving IT specialists, those listening to music in headphones completed tasks more quickly and with better ideas - again due to an increase in mood. The Right Music For The Job... For For Deep Thinking Ehcieney Choose Choose Mellow Music Bass & Synth (« Comfort ») A lot of the time, sound and loud noises are going to dampen how comfortable you are. Examples include: Roadworks being carried Screaming children whilst you're trying People listening to loyd music when you're watching TV. out whilst you are studying to sleep. Sure, these are lots of negatives, but what about improving your comfort through sound? Well, earbuds are a start. - the sound of silence is a joy to behold after a stressful day. The Most Relaxing Song Ever. Jokes aside, research from Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson at Mindlab International stated that the song Weightless by Marconi Union was the most relaxing song of all time - being so effective that it made many women become so drowsy that he advised against driving whilst listening to it. Song Amalysis Weightless by Marconi Union Track Time: 08:13 Features guitars, pianos and the sounds of natural soundscapes Starts at 60 bpm slowing to 50 bpm Observed Elfects on the Body Caused a 65% Prevents the brain Slows heart rate. from predicting what will happen decline in overall reduces blood pressure anxiety. and decreases next, allowing it to cortisol levels. switch off. A Modern Lullaby.. The song 'Sleep by Max Richter was written with the sole purpose of helping listeners sleep peacefully throughout the night, described by the composer himself as a "personal lullaby for a frenetic world." At eight hours long, the track became the longest.continuous piece of music ever broadcast by the BBC in 2015 - a tough record to break! ( Taste ») It's not just comfort that sound can affect, but many other physical factors too, even including taste! This is known as sonic seasoning and modulating taste High Frequency Low Frequency Noises Noises Enhance sweetness Bring out bitterness Loud Background Noises Food tastes less salty. less sweet and your overall enjoyment of the food is minimised. Which may go some way to explaining why airline food tastes so bad. Sounds of The Sea Supposedly makes fish and seafood taste fresher and better! ( Plants ») Ok, so whilst plants aren't affected by psychological issues, they're still living things - so can they be affected by sound? Research... In 1962, Dr.TC Singh of Annamalia University. India, found that musical sounds accelerated the growth of balsam plants by: 20% Height 72% Biomass This was done using classical music, but was later replicated with raga music and found similar effects. He repeated the experiment with field crops using a gramophone and loudspeakers, and found the crops grew between 25-60% above the regional average. So, What Music are Plants into? Classical? Eugene Canby, a Canadian engineer, exposed wheat to Bachis violin sonata and observed an increase in yield in 66% - further reinforcing Dr. TC Singhis positive results from classical music. Rock? Dorothy Retallack found that rock music had negative résults on plant growth - with smaller leaves, abnormal vertical growth and even examples of plants trying to 'escape the music. All of the plants leaned away from the rock music, no matter which way they were turned. Country? Jazz? Country music was found to have no real effect on growth, whilst the benefits of playing jazz music were found to be small but noticeable Conclusion Plants are classy! Or, more accurately, plants don't 'hear' music, they feel it through the vibrations of sound waves. The differing frequencies and varying pressures of vibrations helps (or hinders, in the case of rock music) the protoplasmic movement in plant cells. Sources scienceblogs.com healthyplace.com brainworldmagazine.com amplifon.co.uk dailymail.co.uk superfi.co.uk sparringmind.com independent.co.uk noisecontrol.com ryot.org theguardian.com hubpages.com Brought To You By: IHP INDEPENDENT HEARING PROFESSIONALS www.myihp.co.uk