Bodies and Sound: Raising Awareness of Sound Pollution for Healthy Urban Living

Abstract

Sound pollution is a term initially coined by Michael Southworth and later popularized by R. Murray Schafer. Situated in the context of Schafer’s definition of sound pollution as being sounds that disrupt the soundscape, (an individual’s experienced acoustic environment), this study is further influenced by Erica Walker’s ‘Noise and the City’ project. Walker’s work draws connections between the quality of life and health of those within urban soundscapes. Facilitating an understanding of sound pollution and communicating its physiological effects is worth pursuing as the effects of sound pollution on our health are still not widely understood. What is known is that it has implications for our mental health because it increases stress levels. Researchers and field experts are beginning to understand that increased and unneeded stress can cause elevated anxiety which can ultimately lead to heart problems, and overall deteriorated health and thereby shortened lifespans of those affected. The emphasis of Schafer and Walker’s work draws on a capacity to be more observant of what Schafer coins as keynotes. These are sounds that are easily identifiable within a culture, whereby we understand their source and collectively evaluate that sound in the same way.