Analyzing Neighborly Noise Differences

[Tregg Smith]

analyze please?

Our neighbor has a noisy dog and a Sportster. Niether is louder than the other or actually very loud at all. I don't mind the bike but the dog really gets me upset because there is a history of her and the dog being much worse and I've had to call the police. I like motorcycles.
My son doesn't mind the dog at all but is upset by the motorcycle. Just personal preferences yes but isn't there something more like why is one person bothered by the one noise and the other not and vise versa? Any thoughts on this?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Some sounds (such as nails on a chalk board) are unpleasant because they are apparently close to the threshold of pain in human hearing.

wikipedia has an OK explanation of this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threshold_of_pain

As for different noises being irritated that really is personal preferences. To my knowledge there are no sounds that cause specific physiological responses but they are bound to cause psychological ones. An interesting study would be to determine why things such as babies crying cause the effects they do, it would be interesting to see if we have evolved to produce specific responses to the sound of a baby crying.

 

[Proton Soup]

one physiological change of aging is that you will lose some of your frequency spectrum. mostly high frequencies, i think. i have no idea how this would relate to dogs vs. motorcycles tho.

another psychological response is that very deep (low frequency) sounds can trigger a fear response.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

one physiological change of aging is that you will lose some of your frequency spectrum. mostly high frequencies, i think. i have no idea how this would relate to dogs vs. motorcycles tho.

another psychological response is that very deep (low frequency) sounds can trigger a fear response.

Indeed. A few years ago there was quiet a lot of stir because shops were thinking about putting high-pitched speakers* up to force teenagers away. The sound specifically can't be heard by adults but annoys/hurts people younger. At the time I was in school and kids started using it as the worlds most annoying ringtone.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mosquito

 

[LudusRex]

As a scientist, it is important to approach this situation with objectivity and empirical evidence. First, it is important to understand that noise is a subjective experience and can be perceived differently by individuals. This can be influenced by a variety of factors such as past experiences, personal preferences, and sensitivity to certain sounds.

In this case, it is interesting to note that the neighbor's dog and Sportster are not significantly louder than each other, but still elicit different reactions from different individuals. This could be due to the fact that the dog may have a higher pitch bark that can be more grating to some people, while the motorcycle produces a lower frequency sound that may be more tolerable to others.

Another factor to consider is the history of the neighbor and the dog. It is possible that past negative experiences with the dog have created a heightened sensitivity and negative association with the sound of the dog barking. This may explain why the individual is more bothered by the dog noise compared to the motorcycle.

Additionally, personal preferences can also play a role in noise perception. For example, some people may enjoy the sound of a motorcycle engine revving, while others may find it annoying. This could explain why the son is not bothered by the dog noise, but is upset by the motorcycle noise.

It is also important to consider the context in which the noises are occurring. For instance, if the dog is barking at night when the individual is trying to sleep, it may be more bothersome compared to the motorcycle passing by during the day.

In conclusion, there are a variety of factors that can contribute to why one person may be bothered by a certain noise while another is not. It is important to take into account individual differences, past experiences, and personal preferences when analyzing neighborly noise differences.