The effects of low frequency noise on mental performance and annoyance

Abstract

Low frequency noise (LFN) as background noise in urban and work environments is emitted from many artificial sources such as road vehicles, aircraft, and air movement machinery including wind turbines, compressors, and ventilation or air conditioning units. In addition to objective effects, LFN could also cause noise annoyance and influence mental performance; however, there are no homogenous findings regarding this issue. The purpose of this research was to study the effects of LFN on mental performance and annoyance, as well as to consider the role of extraversion and neuroticism on the issue. This study was conducted on 90 students of Iran University of Medical Sciences (54 males and 36 females). The mean age of the students was 23.46 years (SD = 1.97). Personality traits and noise annoyance were measured by using Eysenck Personality Inventory and a 12-scale self-reported questionnaire, respectively. Stroop and Cognitrone computerized tests measured mental performance of participants each exposed to 50 and 70 dBA of LFN and silence. LFNs were produced by Cool Edit Pro 2.1 software. There was no significant difference between mental performance parameters under 50 and 70 dBA of LFN, whereas there were significant differences between most mental performance parameters in quiet and under LFN (50 and 70 dBA). This research showed that LFN, compared to silence, increased the accuracy and the test performance speed (p < 0.01). There was no association between LFN and noise annoyance (p > 0.01). Introverts conducted the tests faster than extraverts (p < 0.05). This research showed that neuroticism does not influence mental performance. It seems that LFN has increased arousal level of participants, and extraversion has a considerable impact on mental performance.

The Improvement on Noise Attenuation Performance of a Duct-resonator System

“…The geometries of the resonator are: neck cross-section area S n = 2.25πcm 2 , neck length l n = 2.3cm and cavity volume V = 424.12cm 3 . The cross-section area of the main duct is S d = 25cm 2 . Thus, the resonance frequency of the resonator is 400 Hz.…”

“…It plays a significant role in maintaining good indoor air quality 1) . However, the accompanied unpleasant duct-borne noise produced by in-duct elements of a ventilation system results in psychological and physiological ailments to humans [2][3] . Engineers are very concerned about whether they can reduce the noise, especially the low frequency and broadband noise in ventilation ductwork systems [4][5][6] .…”

Combined Effect of Noise and Smoking on the Cognitive Performance of Automotive Industry Workers

“…oise is one of the most important sources of stress in life. Loud noise may not only cause physical problems such as hearing loss and increased vulnerability, but also lowers cognitive performance (Alimohammadi, Sandrock, & Gohari, 2013;Haines, Stansfeld, Job, Berglund, & Head, 2001;Saremi et al, 2008). Noise is also known as one of the risk factors threatening human health, for example, studies have shown that noise in industrial environments can cause hearing impairment, speech problems, sleep disorders, noise annoyance, and decreased efficiency of individuals (Smith, Kane, & Popper, 2004;Zaharna & Guilleminault, 2010;Zare et al, 2009).…”

Low frequency noise impact from road traffic according to different noise prediction methods

“…Furthermore, LFN has objective effects on humans such as permanent hearing threshold shift, behavior, sleep period, task performances and social attitude as monitored in several studies (Alimohammadi et al, 2013;Kaczmarska and Luczak, 2007). Moreover, the participants surveyed within these works reported some concentration problems and annoyance if exposed to low frequency noises during working activities.…”