The effect of foreground and background of soundscape sequence on emotion in urban open spaces

This paper discusses the influence of the soundscape sequence of different urban open spaces on emotion. Thirty participants with normal hearing were selected to listen to forty-two different acoustic sequences and report their emotional changes during the process. The data were analysed in four stages, and the results are as follows: First, emotional response highly correlates with background type. Only when the foreground is negative does it relate to the foreground type. Second, the positive foreground in the early part of a sequence, or the neutral (or negative) foreground in the later part of a sequence, induces a better emotional experience. Third, in an acoustic sequence, emotion changes along with a change in the foreground. The appearance of the foreground triggers emotional fluctuations, and the end of the fore-ground is followed by emotional recovery. Finally, combining foregrounds can aid in regulating negative emotions. This effect is related to the position of the positive foreground and background type. We offer suggestions on the design of urban soundscape from the perspective of emotion based on the findings.(c) 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

This paper discusses the influence of soundscape sequence in different urban open spaces on emotion. The findings indicate that emotional response is highly correlated with background type, positive foregrounds in the early or neutral/negative foregrounds in the later part of a sequence induce better emotional experiences, emotional changes occur along with foreground changes, and combining foregrounds can help regulate negative emotions.