Sounds Good!

When our ears are happy, the odds get pretty good that the rest of us is as well.  What can you do to create an acoustic haven?

• Keep echoes down.Echoing stresses us out.  Use soft surfaces, such as upholstery, a few wall hangings, a carpet or two, etc., when you can.
• Listen to music whenever you’d like.Your heart starts to beat in time to whatever you are listening to so when there are fewer beats per minute you’re relaxed while more beats per minute than your resting heart rate rev you up.  If you are soundscaping an area for several users with diverse tastes in music, the best overall option is instrumental classical music.
• Music can be great for blocking out distracting nearby noise, but your brain will work best without the music if you can avoid the distractions, particularly if you’re listening to music with words.
• A better way to block out nearby sound, that’s also relaxing and mentally refreshing, is listening to nature sounds, really the soundtrack of a meadow on a lovely Spring day. That means burbling brooks, gently rusting leaves and grasses, peacefully singing songbirds—no torrential rains, hurricane force winds or screaming parrots, for instance.  Nature soundtracks are readily available online.
• White noise soundtracks will effectively prevent you from being distracted/disturbed.
• Whether you’re trying to get a little acoustic privacy or feel a little calmer, the best volume for the sounds you add to your life is around 45 dB(A).
• We’re apt to make healthier eating choices when sound volume levels are comfortable than when they seem loud.
• A space that is too quiet, based on our prior experience in similar locations and/or what we plan to do in a space, is just as stressful as one where the soundscape is too loud.
• Random, unpredictable sounds are the ones that are most annoying, so if your home printer, for example, will spring into action from time-to-time without warning, make sure it is acoustically well shielded.
• You can create specific areas inside and out via acoustic zones, just as you can with physical walls.