Effects of spring water sounds on psychophysiological responses in college Students: An EEG study

Abstract

While the beneficial effects of spring water sound on health are recognized, the specific psychophysiological mechanisms at varying sound pressure levels (SPLs) remain unclear. This study explores the effects of different SPLs of spring water sound on psychophysiological responses, utilizing subjective evaluations alongside electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring. Thirty-eight college students were exposed to five SPLs of spring water sounds (40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 dBA). Participants underwent subjective evaluation using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and Restoration Outcome Scale (ROS), complemented by physiological measurements through ECG and EEG. Spring water sounds significantly improved psychophysiological health. Psychologically, compared to no sound, POMS scores decreased by 21.60–67.34 %, ROS scores increased by 1.15–1.86 times, and emotional disorders and subjective stress were significantly improved (p < 0.05). Physiologically, the low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio of ECG decreased by 2.30–30.48 % for 40–50 dBA levels, and the overall EEG power for 50–55 dBA levels decreased by 12.72–21.83 %. Significant enhancements in relative power (RP) of α and β (24.21–73.34 % and 23.96–85.26 %, respectively) and a reduction in mental stress (11.23–59.60 %) were observed. The 50 dBA spring water sound notably influenced brain order–disorder balance, showing a 2.01–3.32-fold improvement over other SPLs. A significant physiological inflection point occurred at 1.0 min post-exposure across all measures. Strong correlations were found between ΔPOMS and ΔRP α (r = -0.535, p < 0.01), and between ΔROS and ΔOverall power (r = -0.418, p < 0.001). This study provides a method to comprehensively analyze the positive effects of water sound from both psychological and physiological perspectives and offers a reference for the design of sound environments.