PERCEPTION OF PLEASANTNESS SOUNDS AND SELF-IMPOSED EXHIBITION TO HIGH LEVELS OF SOUND PRESSURE

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the relation between the pleasantness perception of sounds and the self-imposed loudness. Methods: It is a descriptive, observational and transversal study. Participants were 100 people of both genders, with an average age of 22.3 years (SD = 2.78). Data collection was divided in three moments: (1) fill out a questionnaire with demographic data and information about listening habits; (2) listening to 15 music excerpts, representatives of various musical styles and assigning notes to each of them according to the personal perception of satisfaction; (3) new listening to the same sounds representative of musical styles with free choice of loudness considered desirable for each sound and recording of this intensity in proper form. Results: Among the respondents, it was frequent the habit of listening to music five or more days a week, and most of them say that they use headphones. The personal stereos are the main players for the biggest part of the sample. The association between the degree of satisfaction with a sound and loudness chosen by the subject for listening to this sound, tested through the Pearson correlation coefficient, resulted in correlation coefficients predominantly strong for all conditions tested. Conclusion: Listening to pleasant sounds may be strongly associated with damage to the hearing health, requiring attention of audiologists to promote greater awareness of the population regarding health risks arising from exposure to high levels of sound pressure. DESCRIPTORS: Sound. Hearing. Noise. Acoustic Stimulation. Auditory Perception.