DEKAT DIGITAL 2019 - 2020

Colour can even make a difference to whether we feel warm or cold as warm
colours seem to advance and cooler colours recede. Cooler colours make
us forget time while making objects appear smaller and rooms larger. The
opposite is true of warm colours.
According to the studies of psychoacoustics, sound deeply affects us
not only emotionally but also physiologically. Auditory neurologist Seth
Horowitz says it can trigger deep emotions due to the connection between
the auditory and limbic system, which regulates emotion. Most people have
severe reactions to certain sounds such as nails scraping on a chalkboard
due to the frequency of sound waves produced.
Research suggests that smaller spaces are considered calmer and safer while big rooms trigger primal fears. Acoustic
designers know ‘good acoustics’ require more than clarity of sound. For example, a reverberant dining room might
be unnerving, and a highly damped room might be perceived as ‘dead’ or ‘oppressive’. Intuitively we all know the
effects of calm versus fast-paced music on sleeping, dining, relaxation, working and even studying.
Researchers have demonstrated that music triggers the release of dopamine, the feel-good chemical, in the brain.
Wheat and other crops exposed to Bach’s sonatas increased their yield by 65%, whereas rock music had negative
growth. While listening to music, our pupils dilate and our pulse and blood pressure rise; you could almost say music
is the natural drug of happiness. Sound has a profound influence on humans. Natural sounds like birdsong, rain, or
the ocean make us feel reassured while too much noise causes irritability and can even contribute to chronic diseases.
Music or positive sound should be part of our daily experiences, not only to block out noise but also as an element
in our spatial context. Research on ‘sonic seasoning’ or the effects of sound on tasting has found that high-frequency
sounds enhance sweetness, and low sounds bring out bitterness. Loud background noise affects our taste buds,
making food less salty or less sweet. This means sound actively impacts our enjoyment of food.
36