A sound effect on people - Ecophon’s acoustics podcast

Acoustics, sound, noise. All impact our lives every day. Yet it is not a subject that is often discussed. So, we decided to launch a podcast to do exactly that. Welcome to "A sound effect on people" a podcast that explores how we are affected by sound. We explore how while poor acoustics can be harmful, a room with good acoustics can help you learn, work productively, even heal.

We all know that certain sounds can change the way we feel, but can we improve our lives simply by improving the acoustics of the rooms we are in? We know that some people like to work in quiet, while some feed off the buzz, so we will also explore the effect of personality on the way our bodies and minds respond to the noise that surrounds us.

Our hearing is the one sense we can't turn off, yet it is tuned for the outdoor environments that we evolved in. But with many of us now spending up to 80% of our time indoors, we struggle when excessive noise and reverberant echo trigger our ancient fight or flight response. The physiological response to constant loud noise causes fatigue, stress and elevated heart rates, quite the opposite of what is needed for successful healing or productive work. And if we cannot communicate effectively, teaching will be ineffective and children's attainment may suffer.

In our first episode, Ecophon Concept Developers Shane Cryer, Andrea Harman and Paige Hodsman join presenter Salma Cranefield to explore how poor acoustics can prevent the successful delivery of education, healthcare and a productive office. This episode introduces the key issues and concepts, which will be explored more deeply in subsequent programmes.

Listen now to episode One:

Listen on: Libsyn | iTunes | Stitcher | TuneIn