Transportation noise, noise sensitivity and being away in a wildland area

Nature is theorized to be an "ideal" place for restoring a person's attention and reducing stress because it maximizes the restorative qualities of an environment, being away, fasciation, extent and compatibility. In previous studies, noise has been shown to increase negative reactions and decrease mood. The present study attempts to address the impact noise has on a sense of being away. Specifically, does the influence of two different sound levels of 57 dBA or 39 dBA cause a person to evaluate the being away component of a restorative environment differently. In addition, a person's noise sensitivity has been shown to be a variable that can determine a person's reaction to noise. A sample of individuals recreating in a wildland area were asked to rate their sense of being away and their noise sensitivity at two different sites (Site 1, 57 dBA, and Site 2, 39 dBA). In this study, a sense of being away was not negatively affected by noise and noise sensitivity did not correlate with how a person evaluated the being away component of this environment. However, further analysis showed that non-residents had a higher sense of being away than residents and that wind conditions did influence a person's sense of being away. These findings, though, were not impacted by the transportation noise.