The actual and ideal indoor soundscape for work, relaxation, physical and sexual activity at home: A case study during the COVID-19 lockdown in London

Abstract

The period of home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic made the importance of a high-quality surrounding environment even more evident than before. Several studies have been carried out to assess the (negative) impacts of noise on annoyance, particularly whilst working from home (WFH). The present study takes a step further by (1) investigating the positive and negative impacts of the “actual” acoustic environment on a range of activities, i.e., WFH, relaxation, physical, and sexual activities, and (2) identifying the characteristics of an “ideal” indoor soundscape. The study is based on the qualitative analysis of verbal descriptions collected from open-ended questions included in a survey administered in January 2021 to 464 respondents living in London, during the COVID-19 lockdown. The range of impacts in the actual scenario varied from no effect on task execution, to disruption, distraction, concern of disturbing others or being heard. Positive impacts included support of concentration, relaxation, motivation, freedom of sound expression, feeling of being connected to the surroundings and comforted by the presence of others, according to mechanisms described in the study. Negative appraisal could trigger coping strategies (e.g., controlling windows, playing music, wearing headphones) and behavioural changes (e.g., lowering the volume of the voice or music, muting oneself during call, changing workout type) that could in turn limit or enhance the freedom of behaviour, affect or foster wellbeing. Negative impacts were most frequently reported on WFH (by 55% of the participants), followed by relaxation activities (40.6%), sexual activities (30.1%), and home workout (20.1%). The ideal soundscape was described as a quiet, well-sound insulated environment, which guarantees access to positive sounds (i.e., natural sounds, music, urban background), thus resulting in privacy, intimacy, and a place where to express themselves without noise-related constraints. The study complements literature findings on housing design directions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, by providing further evidence on the impacts of poor sound insulation at home, the potential benefits of nature-based solutions for positive indoor soundscapes, and opportunities for an activity-based design of domestic environments, inclusive of a broader set of home uses and household compositions.

Developing a Model to Predict Self-Reported Student Performance during Online Education Based on the Acoustic Environment

“…The variables selected address interference in both autonomous (voices and traffic) and synchronous activities (animals), as well as the loudness of TV/Radio/Household appliances. A recent study conducted during the COVID lockdown considered that noises from people at home, as well as traffic noise, are quite intrusive for working at home, which is in line with the results of our study [63].…”

“…Regarding this, autonomous activities most notably affected include working in groups and writing, while synchronous activities are influenced by a diminished attention span and difficulties in following classes. This is in line with the study conducted by Torresin et al, which suggests that relaxation is important during reading activities to allow immersion and concentration without distractions in an ideal domestic acoustic environment [63].…”

“…Furthermore, it was observed to boost efficiency and productivity during repetitive tasks. All this research led to the conclusion that (because normally the students themselves decide when and what kind of music to listen to) music can be seen as masking unwanted sound [63,66], and it is hardly considered to be a background disturbance.…”

Effects of Biophilic Design Interventions on University Students' Cognitive Performance: An Audio-Visual Experimental Study in an Immersive Virtual Office Environment

“…While traditional focus has been on noise annoyance or acoustic (dis)satisfaction, it's crucial to examine the effects that sounds and noises have on the dimensions underlying the perception of the acoustic environment within the context (i.e., the soundscape [40]). This comprehensive approach reveals potential emotional consequences, whether positive or negative, allowing for the evaluation of the mediating effects of the emotional sphere on cognitive tasks based on the type of auditory stimulus [41][42][43][44][45][46][47]).…”

Measuring and Representing Indoor Soundscapes: Insights for a Methodology from Socio-Acoustic Surveys in Residential Buildings in England

“…The assessment of the surrounding acoustic environment and appropriateness of the soundscape was done by specifying the target activity of the assessment. Indeed, compared to outdoor environments which are often places of transit or relaxation, indoor environments can accommodate a variety of activities with different acoustic needs [10]. In the present study, the evaluation targeted work from home and relaxation activities.…”