Sound of a heat pump release as a mindfulness track to ease stress
Hhammering and banging top the list, closely followed by the yap of a small dog and the sound of drilling coming from next door. Other irritating noises include noisy chewing, snoring partners, revving engines, slurping tea or coffee, car horns, and high-pitched children's toys.
The research from Hive, found that building and renovation noises feature heavily in the list. One in three say people playing music or videos loudly on their phones drives them mad, while over a quarter say speakerphone conversations in public spike their stress.
Professor. Jamie Ward from the University of Sussex's School of Psychology said: 'Everyday sounds do more than just annoy us, they can elevate stress levels, interrupt focus, and even interfere with sleep. In some cases, they can also strain relationships. However, different types of sounds may annoy us in different ways and some people have greater sound sensitivity than others.
'Sounds also have the power to stir positive emotions. Research shows we are biologically inclined to find natural sounds calming, while slowly building crescendos can trigger an intense positive sensation known as 'the chills. With the right balance of tempo and tone, sound can be a powerful tool for wellbeing.'
To help the nation tune out and take back control of their environment, Hive has launched a mindfulness track, Green Noise. Designed to soothe stress and promote calm, the track features the gentle hum of a heat pump, the whir of an EV and the soft click of a smart thermostat.
Susan Wells, Director of EV and Solar at Hivesaid: 'Whether it's the neighbour's DIY, a barking dog or the constant hum of modern life, everyday noise is clearly driving many of us to distraction. That's why we created our Green Noise track - a calming soundscape that blends ambient sounds with the gentle, soothing rhythms inspired by Hive's eco-tech.
"With many people assuming eco-tech is noisy or disruptive, we wanted to create a track that challenges that misconception and encourages more people to consider making the switch. As well as quiet, Hive eco-tech offers you greater control over your home energy helping you to lower bills and carbon emissions. Smarter, greener living.'
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The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
Margaret Boden obituary
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There she first advanced the novel argument that AI programs could be viewed as a type of theoretical psychology, allowing for the rigorous study of mental processes in abstract non-living systems, with the ultimate aim of revealing principles that could help us better understand mental processing in real living beings. Artificial Intelligence and Natural Man (1977) established her reputation as an authority on AI. It was a 537-page tour-de-force critical review and analysis of pretty much all progress in AI research up to the mid-1970s, presented to the reader in entertaining and accessibly non-technical terms. It is sometimes referred to as the world's first book on AI; the only other book that might contest this claim is Patrick Winston's Artificial Intelligence textbook, published in the same year. 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After spending 1962-64 in the US as a Harkness fellow at Harvard, she moved to the University of Sussex in 1965 as a lecturer in philosophy and psychology, becoming professor in 1980, a post she held until 2002, when she was appointed research professor of cognitive science, the title she held for the rest of her life. In 1974, Maggie, her philosopher colleague Aaron Sloman, and the computer vision researcher Max Clowes, jointly initiated Sussex's Cognitive Studies Programme (CSP), a radically novel attempt to bring together psychologists, linguists, philosophers and AI researchers, to collectively work on 'the study of mind'. Over time the CSP unit attracted academics who were keen to explore research questions at the outer borders of their fields, where their areas of expertise intersected with other disciplines. By the mid-80s the CSP was widely recognised as one of the two major centres for AI research in the UK (the other was the University of Edinburgh). 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