Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2010, 7(3), 1036-1046; doi:10.3390/ijerph7031036
Article

Stress Recovery during Exposure to Nature Sound and Environmental Noise

Jesper J. Alvarsson* email, Stefan Wiensemail and Mats E. Nilssonemail
Gösta Ekman Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 26 January 2010; in revised form: 20 February 2010 / Accepted: 5 March 2010 / Published: 11 March 2010
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Noise and Quality of Life)
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Abstract: Research suggests that visual impressions of natural compared with urban environments facilitate recovery after psychological stress. To test whether auditory stimulation has similar effects, 40 subjects were exposed to sounds from nature or noisy environments after a stressful mental arithmetic task. Skin conductance level (SCL) was used to index sympathetic activation, and high frequency heart rate variability (HF HRV) was used to index parasympathetic activation. Although HF HRV showed no effects, SCL recovery tended to be faster during natural sound than noisy environments. These results suggest that nature sounds facilitate recovery from sympathetic activation after a psychological stressor.
Keywords: soundscape; nature sounds; environmental noise; skin conductance level; heart rate variability; stress recovery

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Alvarsson, J.J.; Wiens, S.; Nilsson, M.E. Stress Recovery during Exposure to Nature Sound and Environmental Noise. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2010, 7, 1036-1046.

AMA Style

Alvarsson JJ, Wiens S, Nilsson ME. Stress Recovery during Exposure to Nature Sound and Environmental Noise. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2010; 7(3):1036-1046.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alvarsson, Jesper J.; Wiens, Stefan; Nilsson, Mats E. 2010. "Stress Recovery during Exposure to Nature Sound and Environmental Noise." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 7, no. 3: 1036-1046.

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