Noise and Mental Performance

I have just been reading a really interesting report into Noise and Mental Performance by a team of researchers from the University of Belgrade.

They bring together evidence demonstrating that exposure to background noise has a detrimental affect on our ability to carry out mental tasks, but go further to explain how different personality traits tend to react differently to noise.

Those with more extrovert personalities tend to have a higher threshold and can perform mental tasks with a relative amount of background noise without showing signs of reduced performance. Whereas the mental performance of those with more introvert personalities tend to suffer at a much lower level.

They go on to explain how this can cause less extrovert people to perform worse at work, firstly by affecting their ability to think and act and secondly by encouraging them to finish tasks quicker and less thoroughly to escape the uncomfortable situation.

There are many other factors to take into consideration but it is interesting to think about the various components that contribute to our differing personalities and how these in turn can help and hinder us in life.

Click here for the full report

Birdsong in the City

Having read Bernard L Krause's lovely book Wild Soundscapes last week, I set off this morning in search of the sound of nature in the city centre. I found it at 9.45 in St Johns Gardens in Castlefield.




Although the engulfing ambient fuzz of traffic was still apparent, as soon as I stepped into St Johns Gardens I was immediately struck by the array of bird song that surrounded me, at first creating an alternate backdrop to compete with the mechanic hum of the city, and soon providing a cacophony of rhythms, melodies and intensities as I became more attuned to my new sonic environment.

High pitched, soft, sweet melodies, whistled, twinkled and reverberated around me, audibly bouncing off of the surrounding buildings. Call and response played out in the air above me in darting panorama, sweet songs frequently interrupted by abrasive stabs of stark, brash, inharmonious mid frequencies.

The low, warm, throaty warble of pigeons created rhythmic flutters on the ground in front of me
whilst the ratchety, mid range clacking of wings soared above, loud, quick and intense as they neared; low, soft and peaceful as they flew away.

Bushes rustled gently as the drawn out dongs of a church bell sounded in the distance, whilst the faint sound of laughter and soft chatter briefly entered my ambient hearing, only adding to the overall peace of my environment.

What amazed me about this array of bird song was how so many layers, pitches, speeds and intensities fit together so effortlessly. Every sound had its place; warm, sweet warbles and melodies naturally filtered to dance amongst raw, brash stabs of noise.

The only intrusion today was a long, high pitched airy burst which grated its way into my hearing for a few seconds before disappearing and leaving me once again to the natural sounds of a Sunday morning in Manchester.

He Thought of Cars

Standing outside Central Library at 5.30 this afternoon provided an interesting juxtaposition between an area of constructed quiet and a world of man made noise.

A cacophony of traffic noise circle and whir around me forming a reverberant, distorted ambiance, housing swirling sirens stripped of their harshness by distance, lending them a smooth, pleasant tone as they gently swell and constrict, each drawn out intensity appearing to last an age amongst the more immediate chaos.

Trams scuttle into the station, metal grinding and rattling together on the tracks, synthesised with a drawn out aching mid range screech and the unbroken sound of the horn, disrupted by the spontaneous thuds and bangs that break their enchanting rhythms.

But today it is the buses that really grab my attention. Their engines purr like tigers. Vibrating, warm and inviting, rumbling low frequencies seeping into the lower regions of my torso; shuddering high pitched wails, the sound of metal straining, bursting, stretching and screeching into almost ultrasonic territories. It is inescapable. Beautiful. Intense.

Heals clop brashly on the concrete amongst rushing bodies and booming voices, all fighting to be heard amongst the commotion. It is proven that loud and uncomfortable sounds lead to increased stress and annoyance and it is all the more evident from this scene.

It is worth noting though that by focusing on the sounds around you and actually listening to them you can reduce their adverse effects, and I must admit to finding it peculiarly relaxing listening to the sonic heave of rush hour unfold before me.

Sonic law

I heard today that although the proposed expansion of Heathrow airport is all set to go ahead, new legal documents have recently been drawn up to ensure that the new runway doesn't breach acceptable noise levels. It amazes me that this ruling has come so late in the day, but it appears that so much focus was put into making sure that a huge new runway wouldn't be in any way detrimental to the environment that the impact it would have on our sonic spectrum was overlooked.

In some ways this surprises me, but in others it just reiterates the fact that the sonic is so often ignored, we are almost oblivious to it until it becomes unusually intrusive. I have never heard people discuss the sound on the tram before, despite the fascinating daily whir discussed in a previous post, but today all other sounds were engulfed by an abrasive blast not dissimilar to the sound of sheering metal, which throbbed through our bodies, pulsed and battered our heads for the entire journey, only briefly interrupted by the crackling voice of the driver announcing the next stop.

And everyone discussed it! People got off before their stops, the carriages were filled with chatter, people mentioned deafness, headaches and pain. Having paid close attention to the sound inside the tram before though, I was fully aware that this was merely an exaggeration of a normal journey. It just happened to cross that boundary where noise can no longer be accepted as normal, it shifts from being an indescribable background drone to a pain inducing machine. Pain that is subtly inflicted during every journey.

Sound Control

Rumour is spreading that the British government have put plans in place to enforce all venues applying or re-applying for an entertainment license, to have a noise control device fitted which will effectively cut power if what is considered acceptable volume is breached.

I'm not personally fond of extremely loud music but I do like to know that I'm experiencing it, and these devices tend to cut out at such low volumes that they are nothing but detrimental.

But, if it is perceived that we need protecting from these intense volumes, lets get noise control devices on building sites, road works, trains, aeroplanes, see how it affects them, and what about thunder, volcanos, hurricanes, probably best to do something about them too before we all go deaf.

And the wars that we are so fond of, better start monitoring the explosions, the bombs, the gunfire, and while we're at it, better get some devices fitted in the prison camps to protect the ears of those subjected to sonic warfare.

We have a choice to avoid loud music if we want to. We can only hope it remains one.


There is a petition in place to oppose this ruling if anyone is interested: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/NoNoiseControl/