Research on the impact of traditional soundscapes on physiology and subjective restoration in historical and cultural districts

Abstract

A healthy urban sound environment is the common pursuit of both residents and urban designers. The restorative effects of natural soundscape on physiology and psychology have been proved. However, the potential health benefits of the historical and cultural attributes of soundscapes are yet to be explored. This study took the traditional sound sources and environments in the historical and cultural district as the research object, and presented the audio-visual scenarios in the laboratory. Finally, 7 physiological indicators and subjective evaluation of perceived recovery soundscape scale (PRSS) of 37 subjects were assessed. The results indicate that historical soundscapes have an impact on subjective restorative factors such as Fascination and Being-Away. However, there is no significant influence on all physiological indicators. This suggest that the historical and cultural attributes of soundscapes might have a positive effect on psychological restoration, but the impact on physiology is not significant.