Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The effects of low frequency noise on mental performance and annoyance

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Low frequency noise (LFN) as background noise in urban and work environments is emitted from many artificial sources such as road vehicles, aircraft, and air movement machinery including wind turbines, compressors, and ventilation or air conditioning units. In addition to objective effects, LFN could also cause noise annoyance and influence mental performance; however, there are no homogenous findings regarding this issue. The purpose of this research was to study the effects of LFN on mental performance and annoyance, as well as to consider the role of extraversion and neuroticism on the issue. This study was conducted on 90 students of Iran University of Medical Sciences (54 males and 36 females). The mean age of the students was 23.46 years (SD = 1.97). Personality traits and noise annoyance were measured by using Eysenck Personality Inventory and a 12-scale self-reported questionnaire, respectively. Stroop and Cognitrone computerized tests measured mental performance of participants each exposed to 50 and 70 dBA of LFN and silence. LFNs were produced by Cool Edit Pro 2.1 software. There was no significant difference between mental performance parameters under 50 and 70 dBA of LFN, whereas there were significant differences between most mental performance parameters in quiet and under LFN (50 and 70 dBA). This research showed that LFN, compared to silence, increased the accuracy and the test performance speed (p < 0.01). There was no association between LFN and noise annoyance (p > 0.01). Introverts conducted the tests faster than extraverts (p < 0.05). This research showed that neuroticism does not influence mental performance. It seems that LFN has increased arousal level of participants, and extraversion has a considerable impact on mental performance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Belojevic, G., Jakovljevic, B., & Slepcevic, V. (2003). Noise and mental performance: personality attributes and noise sensitivity. Noise & Health, 6(21), 77–89.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Berglund, B., & Lindvall, T. (1995). Community noise. http://www.nonoise.org/library/whonoise/whonoise.htm. Accessed 26 December 2012.

  • Berglund, B., Hassmén, P., & Job, R. F. S. (1996). Sources and effects of low frequency noise. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 99(5), 2985–3002.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Christianson, S. (1992). Emotional stress and eyewitness memory: a critical review. Psychological Bulletin, 112(2), 284–309.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., & Weinstein, N. (1981). Nonauditory effects of noise on behavior and health. Journal of Social Issues, 37, 36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dornic, S. (1975). Some studies on the retention of order information. In P. Rabbitt & S. Dornic (Eds.), Attention and performance. London: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dornic, S. (1977). Mental load, effort and individual differences. Reports from Department of Psychology, University of Stockholm, No. 509.

  • Eysenck, M. W. (1982). Attention and arousal: cognition and performance. Berlin: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1964). The Eysenck Personality Inventory. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gamberale, F., Kjellberg, A., Akerstedt, T., & Johansson, G. (1990). Behavioral and psychophysiological effects of the physical work environment. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 16, 5–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geen, R. G. (1984). Preferred stimulation levels in introverts and extraverts: effects on arousal and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 1303–1312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giesbrecht, G. G., Arnett, J. L., Vela, E., & Bristow, G. K. (1993). Effect of task complexity on mental performance during immersion hypothermia. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 64, 201–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guski, R., Felscher-Suhr, U., & Schuemer, R. (1999). The concept of noise annoyance: how international experts see it. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 223(4), 513–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jerger, J., Alford, B., Coast, A., & French, B. (1966). Effects of very low frequency tones on auditory thresholds. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 9, 150–160.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kjellberg, A., & Wide, P. (1988). Effects of simulated ventilation noise on performance of a grammatical reasoning task. Proceedings of the 5th International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem, Stockholm, August, 31–36.

  • Lazarus, R. S. (1990). Theory based stress measurement. Psychological Inquiry, 1, 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leventhall, G., Pelmear, P., & Benton, S. (2003). A review of published research on low frequency noise and its effects. Reported for Defra. http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/4141/1/Benton_2003.pdf. Accessed 22 December 2012.

  • Nelson, P. M. (1987). Transportation noise reference book. Cambridge: Butterworths.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nixson, C. (1973). Human auditory response to intense infrasound. Proceedings colloquium on infrasound, Paris, September, 317–338.

  • Ohrstrom, E., Bjorkman, M., & Rylander, R. (1980). Laboratory annoyance and different traffic noise sources. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 70, 333–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska, M., Dudarewicz, A., Waszkowska, M., & Sliwinska-Kowalska, M. (2003). Assessment of annoyance from low frequency and broadband noises. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 16(4), 337–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska, M., Dudarewicz, A., Waszkowska, M., Szymczak, W., & Sliwinska-Kowalska, M. (2005). The impact of low frequency noise on human mental performance. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 18(2), 185–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Persson-Waye, K., Rylander, R., Benton, S., & Leventhall, H. G. (1997). Effects on performance and work quality due to low frequency ventilation noise. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 205(4), 467–474.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poulton, E. C. (1979). Composite model for human performance in continuous noise. Psychological Review, 86(4), 361–375.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Puhr, U., & Wagner, M. (2004). Stroop Interference Test. Release 23.Schuhfried, Qualitat durch kompetenz.

  • Razmjou, S. (1996). Mental working load in heat: toward a framework for analyses of stress states. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 67, 530–538.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reulecke, W. (1991). Concentration and trivalent performance variables—theoretical assumptions, grid model and empirical implementation example. In J. Janssen, E. Hahn, & Strand (Eds.), Concentration and performance (pp. 63–73). Göttingen: Hogrefe. in German.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saeki, T., Fujii, T., Yamaguchi, S., & Harima, S. (2004). Effects of acoustical noise on annoyance, performance and fatigue during mental memory task. Applied Acoustics, 65, 913–921.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, N., & Brewer, N. (2002). The dynamics of treat and challenge appraisals prior to stressful achievement events. Journal of Social and Personality Psychology, 83, 678–692.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Staal, M. A. (2004). Stress, cognition, and human performance: a literature review and conceptual framework. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center, NASA/TM-212824. http://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov/flightcognition/Publications/IH_054_Staal.pdf. Accessed 20 December 2012.

  • Stokes, A. F., & Kite, K. (2001). On grasping a nettle and becoming emotional. In P. A. Hancock & P. A. Desmond (Eds.), Stress, workload, and fatigue. Mahwah: L. Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stokes, A., Belger, A., & Zhang, K. (1990). Investigation of factors comprising a model of pilot decision making: part II. Anxiety and cognitive strategies in expert and novice aviators (ARL-90-8/SCEEE-90-2). Savoy: University of Illinois, Aviation Research Laboratory.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18, 643–662.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vienna Test System (2004/2005) Computerized psychological diagnostic, catalog. http://www.schuhfried.com/fileadmin/content/2_Kataloge_2005_en/Vienna_Test_System_2012_SCHUHFRIED.pdf. Accessed 20 June 2006.

  • Wagner, M., & Karner, T. (2003). Cognitrone. release 35.00. Schuhfried, Qualitat durch kompetenz.

  • Yano, T. (2002). Community response to environmental noises and the construction of standardized noise annoyance scales. Recent Research Development in Sound and Vibration, 1, 1–27, ISBN: 81-7895-031-6.

  • Yeo, G. B., & Neal, A. (2004). A multilevel analysis of effort, practice, and performance: effects of ability, conscientiousness, and goal orientation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(2), 231–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yerkes, R. M., & Dodson, J. D. (1908). The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit-information. Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, 18, 459–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The study was funded by the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (689). The authors would like to thank the assistance of Mr. Yaser Dehghani Ashkezari, Mrs. Razyeh Soltani Gherdefaramarzi, and Mrs. Batool Mousavi in data collection.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Occupational Health Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

    Iraj Alimohammadi

  2. Institut fur Angewandte Arbeitswissenschaft ev, Urdinger, 56, Dusseldorf, Germany

    Stephan Sandrock

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

    Mahmoud Reza Gohari

Authors
  1. Iraj Alimohammadi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stephan Sandrock
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mahmoud Reza Gohari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Iraj Alimohammadi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Alimohammadi, I., Sandrock, S. & Gohari, M.R. The effects of low frequency noise on mental performance and annoyance. Environ Monit Assess 185, 7043–7051 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3084-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3084-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation