Effects of Sound Immersion on Emotional Wellbeing and Homeostasis

Music and sounds evoke a wide range of emotions and activate numerous psychological and physiological effects. Since emotions involve the autonomic nervous system (ANS) associated with the maintenance of homeostasis, they play an important role in supporting human wellbeing. The aim of the present study is to further validate the mechanisms underlying the relationship between sound, emotions and homeostasis. To this end, the effects of spatial sound projection of two different singing bowls with fundamental frequencies at 73 Hz and 110 Hz were investigated by monitoring behavioural and emotional response in healthy subjects. Overall, we find that the spatial projection of singing bowl sounds elicits a highly significant increase in positive emotions. Exposure to both frequencies resulted in a significant improvement in emotional wellbeing and a significant reduction in negative emotions. We demonstrate frequencydependent effects indicating a shift in arousal, where 73 Hz elicits feeling more wide awake while 110 Hz elicits sleepiness. These results indicate that non-invasive interventions, such as sound immersion with singing bowls, are effective means in restoring and maintaining homeostasis and underline the need for further research on the effect of discrete frequencies on human psychology and physiology, opening new perspectives on potential treatment of various disorders and conditions.