A synthesis of health benefits of natural sounds and their distribution in national parks

What the study found

Natural sounds were associated with improved affect and health-related outcomes and reduced stress or annoyance across the synthesized literature.

Limitations

Studies varied widely in sound type, exposure, control condition and outcome.

Neurodesign interpretation

Soundscape design can add restoration without adding visual complexity. The strongest opportunity may be in spaces where visual biophilia is constrained.

Possible design implications

Use water, birds and other context-appropriate natural sound sources where they add genuine sensory value rather than generic audio decoration.

Why it stays in the corpus

Retain as the anchor synthesis for natural soundscapes.

Study design

Systematic synthesis and meta-analysis

Population

Humans across reviewed experiments

Setting

Natural and simulated sound environments

Field

Soundscape, restoration

Mechanism

Auditory restoration, affect, stress

Spatial variable

Natural sound exposure

Keywords

natural sounds, soundscape, stress, restoration