Examining the Relationship between Exposure to Sound Frequency and Mood

Authors: Jayden Cross, Barbie Shaffer, Tanisha Loheit

SUNY Campus: Columbia-Greene Community College

Presentation Type: Poster

Location: Old Union Hall

Presentation #: 35

Timeslot: Session B 10:15-11:15 AM

Abstract: Environmental factors such as lighting, temperature, and sound have been shown to influence human mood and emotion (Kemper & Lazarus, 1992). Prior research has demonstrated that changes in lighting can alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (Meesters, Duijzer, & Hommes, 2018), while soundscapes can evoke emotions ranging from pleasure and relaxation to annoyance (Lui & Kang, 2011; Marquis-Favre, Premat, & Aubree, 2005). Recent studies suggest that specific auditory frequencies may have distinct emotional effects. Kumar, Abhayapala, and Samarasinghe (2022) found that happy emotions were associated with tones in the 210–528 Hz range, while listener-preferred tones fell between 210–540 Hz. The present study sought to further investigate the relationship between sound frequency and mood by exposing participants to either a low-frequency (210 Hz) or high-frequency (540 Hz) tone. It was hypothesized that lower frequencies would elicit a more positive mood, while higher frequencies would result in a more negative mood. Results indicated that there was no significant effect on the pleasant-mood scale relative to the sound conditions nor on the unpleasant-mood scale relative to the sound conditions.