Soundscapes and Well-Being: How Lowering City Speed Limits Could Alleviate Anxiety

Conversely, a natural soundscape devoid of all cars would help reduce blood pressure and anxiety.

The city environment is bad for mental health

Whether they are conscious or not, the sounds that form part of everyday life have a significant impact on the psychological state of Man. Certain epidemiological studies have notably evaluated “the state of mental health of individuals living around airports, railways and highways”, leading to a global consensus regarding the harmful effect of noise.

General sensitivity to stress, sleep disorders, neurotic depression… The sounds delivered by an urban environment, more specifically, are a risk factor for mental health. At least that’s what a study published on November 27, 2024 in the journal PLOS ONE suggests, written by two researchers resident in the United Kingdom.

Three soundscapes

To reach this conclusion, 68 students were invited to listen to three soundscapes of three minutes each. One had no traffic noise, the second had traffic sounds of cars traveling at 30 km/h and the last had sounds of cars traveling faster, at 60 km/h.

The students' general mood and stress was assessed before and after being exposed to these soundscapes. Only the natural soundscape was associated with the lowest level of stress and anxiety, which also differed depending on the speed of the cars. Generally, the highest rate of stress corresponded to the soundscape where cars were traveling at 60 km/h.

Reduce car speed to reduce anxiety

For the authors, their study shows that “ Reducing traffic speeds in cities is an important step so that more people can experience the positive effects of nature on their health and well-being.” Therefore, reducing car speeds in urban areas could have benefits for human mental health.

Conversely, the study also shows that a natural soundscape helps calm and prevent anxiety. According to other studies, as relayed by the Medical Press media, bird songs can reduce a human's blood pressure or even help them get back on their feet after a stressful event.