The psychology of sound
Rushda:
February 2nd, 2007
I find it really interesting how our own psychology influences how we perceive sound volume. A person talking in a foreign language may sound really loud to us because we can’t understand them, a song might sound too quiet if we really like it or deafening if we detest it. Fireworks can sound amazing to us even though they are just really loud bangs, and it is said that the whisper of a child is loud to its mother, even when she is asleep.
Recently, there were lots of complaints made against a mother and baby group in which nursery rhymes were being sung. Apparently the loud singing in the afternoons has been shattering the peace and calm of the neighbourhood and consequently the nursery may be forced to close. I personally think that the people complaining just don’t like nursery rhymes. Surely it is not the intrinsic volume of the singing that is the issue but the type of sound it is. After all, no one has complained about the louder building site and recording studio nearby!
Personally I’m not sure how much authority our preferences have here. Obviously, anyone would be annoyed if their neighbour was deliberately making farting noises all day long, but that’s just an extreme. I don’t think anyone should complain about a good old sing-song.