ArticlePsychonomic bulletin & review2019
Of cricket chirps and car horns: The effect of nature sounds on cognitive performance.
Article in Psychonomic bulletin & review, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 123 citations in OpenAlex.
- Forest soundscapes improve mood, restoration and cognition, but not physiological stress or immunity, relative to industrial soundscapes.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Enhancing Psychophysiological Well-Being Through Nature-Based Soundscapes: An Examination of Heart Rate Variability in a Cross-Over Study.Psychophysiology · 2025Trial
- Birdsongs alleviate anxiety and paranoia in healthy participants.Scientific reports · 2022Trial
- Walking Green: Developing an Evidence Base for Nature Prescriptions.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Trial
- Music is a distinct perceptual category with subjective grounds.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Homo sapiens, industrialisation and the environmental mismatch hypothesis.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2026Review
- Effects of a Nature-Based Intervention on Cognitive Function in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment.Psychiatry investigation · 2026Article
- Chronic nature exposure does not moderate affective and attentional effects of acute nature exposure.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Association of Perceived Acoustic Environment Exposure and Nonrestorative Sleep with Cognitive Functioning Among Chinese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Survey.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Contrasting cognitive, behavioral, and physiological responses to breathwork vs. naturalistic stimuli in reflective chamber and VR headset environments.PLOS mental health · 2025Article
- Autistic traits and speech perception in social and non-social noises.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- A Study on the Soundscape of Underground Commercial Space in Lu'an City and Hefei City, China.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Effects of Acoustic Environment Types on Stress Relief in Urban Parks.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Talk of the Town mobile app platform: New method for engaging family in STEM learning and research in homes and communities.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Review
- Exposure to Nature Sounds through a Mobile Application in Daily Life: Effects on Learning Performance among University Students.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Effortless training of attention and self-control: mechanisms and applications.Trends in cognitive sciences · 2022Review
- Understanding the Role of Nature Engagement in Supporting Health and Wellbeing during COVID-19.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- The Effects of Using a Nature-Sound Mobile Application on Psychological Well-Being and Cognitive Performance Among University Students.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- A Participatory Interior Design Approach for a Restorative Work Environment: A Research-Intervention.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Can the Biophilia Hypothesis Be Applied to Long-Duration Human Space Flight? A Mini-Review.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Attention restoration theory (ART) posits that stimuli found in nature may restore directed attention functioning by reducing demands on the endogenous attention system. In the present experiment, we assessed whether nature-related cognitive benefits extended to auditory presentations of nature, a topic that has been understudied. To assess directed attention, we created a composite measure consisting of a backward digit span task and a dual n-back task. Participants completed these cognitive measures and an affective questionnaire before and after listening to and aesthetically judging either natural or urban soundscapes (between-participants). Relative to participants who were exposed to urban soundscapes, we observed significant improvements in cognitive performance for individuals exposed to nature. Urban soundscapes did not systematically affect performance either adversely or beneficially. Natural sounds did not differentially change positive or negative affect, despite these sounds being aesthetically preferred to urban sounds. These results provide initial evidence that brief experiences with natural sounds can improve directed attention functioning in a single experimental session.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.