Music and Noise: Same or Different? What Our Body Tells Us

Abstract

In this article, we consider music and noise in terms of vibrational and transferable energy as well as from the evolutionary significance of the hearing system of Homo sapiens . Music and sound impinge upon our body and our mind and we can react to both either positively or negatively. Much depends, in this regard, on the frequency spectrum and the level of the sound stimuli, which may sometimes make it possible to set music apart from noise. There are, however, two levels of description: the physical-acoustic description of the sound and the subjective-psychological reactions by the listeners. Starting from a vibrational approach to sound and music, we first investigate how sound may activate the sense of touch and the vestibular system of the inner ear besides the sense of hearing. We then touch upon distinct issues such as the relation between low-frequency sounds and annoyance, the harmful effect of loud sound and noise, the direct effects of overstimulation with sound, the indirect effects of unwanted sounds as related to auditory neurology, and the widespread phenomenon of liking loud sound and music, both from the point of view of behavioral and psychological aspects.

Music Listening as Coping Behavior: From Reactive Response to Sense-Making

“…Music, as such, can be annoying because it intrudes into the private sphere and can even become a kind of “acoustic violation,” given the penetrating power of loud sounds, if music is considered from the acoustic-vibrational point of view. Much depends here, however, on our subjective evaluation and the feeling of power [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. There are, as such, both subjective and objective criteria to perceive music as threatening (see [ 39 ]).…”

“…Much depends here, however, on our subjective evaluation and the feeling of power [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. There are, as such, both subjective and objective criteria to perceive music as threatening (see [ 39 ]). Music, then, can be a stressor for those who hear it, so people may need to cope.…”

Noise Prediction Using Machine Learning with Measurements Analysis

“…Other sensors can be deduced by analogy from the prediction results at different frequencies, as shown in Figure 16. Here, we focused on the noise value of 125 Hz as its dBA values reached levels that are harmful to the human body [15][16][17][18]. Moreover, we found that sensors 3, 8, and 10 achieved favorable prediction performance, as shown in Table 2.…”

“…Thus, the noise frequencies most harmful to humans were identified and machine learning was used to target these frequency bands for prediction. Through this method, we confirmed the noise map of the examined field, attempted to add meaningful time and historical features from the previous analysis, and predicted the likelihood of harmful noise [15][16][17][18] at future time points in the operating environment. The results in this paper can be used to prevent noise pollution in advance to create better working conditions.…”

Effects of high-intensity infrasound on liver lipid content of rats

“…Infrasound is a mechanical vibration wave with a frequency range below 20 Hz, originated by natural phenomena and man-made sources, such as industrial installations, low-speed machinery and music [ 24 , 25 ]. Due to its wavelength, infrasound can propagate over very large distances without being reflected or absorbed by obstacles and is hardly attenuated through dissipation [ 24 ].…”