PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY RESPONSE-BASED MODEL FOR HETEROGENEOUS TRAFFIC NOISE EXPOSURE

Abstract

Noise pollution, the second biggest environmental issue after air pollution, poses significant challenges to human health. Traffic noise, a major contributor in urban areas, has detrimental effects on human health, including auditory problems like hearing loss and speech interference, as well as non-auditory issues such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and cognitive impairment. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 2 billion people worldwide are exposed to noise levels surpassing 55 decibels, resulting in substantial health impacts. While countries have implemented directives like "Noise Action Plans" to map noise levels and develop mitigation strategies, research on health risks and annoyance related to noise exposure has received inadequate attention. This study focuses on analysing the impact of noise on human psychophysiology and perception, particularly in heterogeneous transportation systems. Its objective is to characterize and categorize the complex noise environment in India. Through a controlled listening experiment, changes in EEG, ECG, and SCR signals are analysed, considering perceived affective qualities (annoyance, eventfulness, and pleasantness), objective sound categories, noise sensitivity, gender, and cross-cultural differences. The findings emphasize the severity of noise pollution in India and its associated health risks. Specific noise clusters in commercial and mixed land use zones are identified as particularly loud areas. Road traffic noise is found to significantly affect brainwaves, with increased loudness correlating with reduced Alpha band activity. Annoyance and pleasantness levels exhibit a negative correlation with Alpha activity, while increased eventfulness shows a positive correlation. Gender differences and specific sound scenarios also influence Alpha activity. Heart rate variability parameters are influenced by noise intensity, psychoacoustic indicators, annoyance, eventfulness, gender, and noise sensitivity.