Alleviating Surgeons’ Stress through Listening to Natural Sounds in a Half-Encapsulated Rest Space after an Operation: A Pilot, Longitudinal Field Study

Yasushi Suko (), Tomoharu Shindo, Kaoru Saito, Norimasa Takayama, Shin’ichi Warisawa, Tetsuya Sakuma, Masaaki Ito, Pasi Kytölä, Tapio Nummi and Kalevi Korpela
Additional contact information
Yasushi Suko: Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, FI-33014 Tampere University, Finland
Tomoharu Shindo: Department of Human and Engineered Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi 277-8563, Chiba, Japan
Kaoru Saito: Department of Landscape Architecture Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Sakuragaoka 1-1-1, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
Norimasa Takayama: Department of Forest Management, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba 305-8687, Ibaraki, Japan
Shin’ichi Warisawa: Department of Human and Engineered Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi 277-8563, Chiba, Japan
Tetsuya Sakuma: Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Masaaki Ito: Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital East, 6-5-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi 277-8577, Chiba, Japan
Pasi Kytölä: Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences/Statistics, Tampere University, FI-33014 Tampere University, Finland
Tapio Nummi: Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences/Statistics, Tampere University, FI-33014 Tampere University, Finland
Kalevi Korpela: Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, FI-33014 Tampere University, Finland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-17

Abstract: Background: Natural sounds are reportedly restorative, but most research has used one-off experiments conducted in artificial conditions. Research based on field experiments is still in its infancy. This study aimed to generate hypotheses on the restorative effects of listening to natural sounds on surgeons, representing professionals working in stressful conditions. Methods: Each of four surgeons (two experts and two residents) participated six times in an experiment where they took a 10-min break listening to natural sounds (four times) or without natural sounds (twice) after a surgical operation. We measured their skin conductance level, an indicator of sympathetic arousal, continuously during the break (measurement occasions N = 2520) and assessed their mood using two questionnaires before and after the break ( N = 69 and N = 42). We also interviewed them after the break. Results: Based on statistical Linear Mixed-Effects modeling, we developed two hypotheses for further, more detailed studies: (H1) Listening to natural sounds after an operation improves surgeons’ mood. (H2) Inexperienced surgeons’ tension persists so long that the effect of natural sounds on their sympathetic arousal is negligible. Conclusions: This risk-free, easy-to-use means of stress alleviation through natural sounds could benefit highly-stressed people working indoors.

Keywords: restorative effect; natural sounds; surgeon; skin conductance level (SCL); Restoration Outcome Scale (ROS); Profile of Mood States (POMS); mental health; well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/19/12736/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/19/12736/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:12736-:d:933951

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().