2017 Volume 60 Issue 4 Pages 301-311
Sounds play an important role in our daily life. We can enjoy music, conversation, etc. However, sometimes conversation and sleep may be disturbed by sounds. These disruptive sounds are called “noise”. Noise is defined as “unwanted sound”. There is no physical definition of noise. Therefore, a psychological approach along with a physical approach is indispensable to solving noise problems. Various laws and regulations related to noise have been issued based on the Basic Environmental Law. Taking these laws into consideration, the author introduced in this paper how psychological studies can contribute to resolving noise problems. A neighborhood noise problem was introduced as an example of environmental noise. Even very soft sound may disturb neighbors, and thus, human relationships are involved. Therefore, research on a psychological approach is useful. The presence of temporally varying sounds is also another candidate for a psychological evaluation. The author and her colleagues found that the overall impression of temporally varying sounds can be evaluated with LAeq (A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level). The results are reflected in the Environmental Quality Standard in Japan, JIS, and ISO, which are closely related to the QOL.
