Within this study, nature sounds were associated with a decrease in the body’s sympathetic response (tied to “fight-or-flight”) and an increase in parasympathetic response- the one that helps the body relax and function in normal circumstances ( or “rest-digest” response). Reaction times were also slower when the participants were exposed to artificial sounds compared to natural ones. Slight differences in heart rate were also noticeable. Inward-focused attention can include worrying and rumination about things specific to an individual-patterns that have been linked to conditions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Specifically, listening to artificial sounds was associated with patterns of inward-focused attention, while nature sounds promoted more external-focused attention. When the fMRI results were reviewed, the researchers noticed that activity in the brain’s default mode network- an area involved in mind wandering- varied depending on the background sounds being played. Their heart rates were monitored as well, to indicate changes in their autonomic nervous systems-the system of organs involved in involuntary processes such as breathing, blood pressure, temperature, metabolism, and digestion. While exposed to each soundscape, participants also performed a task to measure their attention and reaction time. This was the first study to use brain scans, heart-rate monitors, and behavioral experiments to suggest a physiological cause for these effects.
#AMBIENCE DEFINITION SERIES#
To explore the connection between the brain, the body, and surrounding noise, researchers at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in England recruited seventeen healthy adult participants to receive functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans while listening to a series of five-minute soundscapes featuring natural and man-made environments. As found through a 2017 study, sounds derived from nature actually alter the connections in our brains, which reduces our body’s natural fight-or-flight instinct. Fortunately for us, researchers are working to better understand why natural ambient sounds in particular have such a positive impact on humans mentally and physically.
Many people get used to these sounds in their environment and they become a welcome background noise mix that the human brain expects to hear even while asleep. Rain, traffic, crickets, birds, muffled voices, air-conditioning units, and the sound of a distant train are all ambient sounds. What are ambient sounds? By definition, ambient sounds are the background noises that are present at any given location.
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