Noisy neighbors scientifically proven to be more annoying than other sounds

By Pol Allingham via SWNS

The sound of neighbors has been scientifically proven to be more annoying than any other noise nuisance - and could even cause heart disease.

However, researchers discovered the thudding sounds of people walking barefoot do not get included in the technical requirements for building construction.

Stomping feet and dropping objects are the main cause of complaints in apartment blocks and enduring these impact sounds can negatively affect people’s health and work.

Impact sounds are impulsive, consisting of one or more distinct sounds lasting a short duration.

The National Research Council of Canada conducted experiments and discovered their impulsivity made the sounds of noisy neighbors more annoying than general continuous sounds such as music or speech.

Markus Mueller-Trapet, from the research group, said: "Long-term exposure to such unwanted sounds may potentially lead to cardiovascular problems and sleep disturbance."

With the increased population density of urban areas over the last decades and the rise of working from home in early 2020, he believes the topic has become even more relevant.

The researchers created a living room-like situation and recorded the sound of objects dropping and people walking.

Recordings were presented to participants using various playback techniques and virtual reality.

An online survey has also been set up to add to their investigations, which will run from November 21 this year to March 31 2023.

Their aim is to help create a more livable built environment by providing guidance to architects and building developers, and integrate their new discoveries with the existing metrics.

The team believe their research is pressing as populations are becoming increasingly dense and working from home is more and more common.

Their findings were presented at the Acoustical Society of America meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.