Authors: Grace Collier, Sadee Ball, Shelby Shepherd, Madi Kotter, Sierra Jeppesen, Tanner Wilson
Mentors: Julie Pynn
Insitution: Southern Utah University
ABSTRACT
A large body of research indicates that nature has a positive effect on anxiety levels and overall well-being. This has been tested in many different ways, including through the use of soundscapes. This study aims to analyze how different soundscapes—nature sounds, urban sounds, and white noise—impact anxiety levels. Furthermore, it aims to determine whether or not this relates to one’s perception of origin. Quantitative results indicated that nature sounds and white noise tended to reduce anxiety levels the most, with urban sounds having an insignificant effect. Qualitative results revealed that nature sounds evoked the highest rate of positive emotion, with the white noise soundscape having the second highest rate, and the urban soundscape having the lowest rate.
Keywords: soundscapes, nature sounds, urban sounds, white noise, anxiety, perception of origin