Study on the effects of sound factors and their association with the psychological evaluation of thermal comforts

Abstract

Humans have evaluated the living environment as a whole rather than based on individual factors. However, there are numerous ambiguities regarding the interrelationship between sound and thermal environment in actual living. In this research, we aimed to demonstrate the impact of sound and its association with a psychological evaluation of thermal comfort by exposing participants to sounds. We performed subjective evaluation experiments using the semantic differential method. A subjective investigation of the surrounding and sound environment using 30 pairs of evaluation items was conducted using the sound source of the fireplace. Additionally, we asked about the sound association and the clothing amount through free writing. In terms of evaluating the immediate surroundings, we compared the group that associated the sound with the fireplace appropriately with the group that did not: "Warm," "Comfortable," "Open," and three other components, and the subjective evaluation of the sound shifted significantly to the positive side in three items. As a result, it was revealed that sounds positively affected thermal comfort when associated appropriately. Furthermore, we clarified that associating sounds appropriately impacted the feeling of relaxation in the space.