Summary

Holidays can be filled with sound, some of which is noisy. Noise can affect mental wellbeing. Consider turning down the volume. Be considerate of other people when you give gifts that make noise or when you are making noise. Consider how holiday sounds help you feel better. Reach out to someone during the holidays: perhaps the sound of your voice will help them to enjoy the holidays.

Holiday Noise and Mental Wellbeing

During the Holidays, wherever you live, you will likely be exposed to more noise than you would be outside of the holiday season. Let’s explore why it is important to consider the relationship between holiday noise and mental wellbeing.

Holidays and Noise

Exposure to noise is inherent to the holiday season.

People travel places and traveling can be a noisy experience: car traffic, airplane sounds, crowded rest stops along the highway, and noisy fellow passengers on public transportation.

Parties during the holidays can include large gatherings of festive (and noisy) friends and family members and co-workers.

Presents and festive trinkets during the holidays may be noise producing. Think of those Christmas crackers, which may decorate a holiday dining table, with their loud popping sound. Consider the smart devices we may offer or receive as gifts to heighten our audio experience during the holidays.

In this age of technology, consider all the “toys” occupying our lives and the “equipment” deemed essential for our jobs: cellphones, smart watches, Xboxes, pagers, tablets, laptops, printers and scanners, fax machines, personal digital assistants and smart speakers, microwaves, dishwashers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, house alarms, … Even the drone of the refrigerator exposes us to noise.

And, of course, holiday music. At concert halls. In the mall. In places of worship. Sometimes in the street or on the subway and in our cars. Often the music is broadcast in a very loud fashion, to capture our attention.

Is Holiday Noise a Healthy Exposure?

That is a loaded question.

Social connectedness can improve our mood and allay mental health symptoms, as discussed in previous posts.

Music can be beneficial for our mental wellbeing. See prior posts for an exposé on music and wellbeing.

Joyful sounds can elicit joyous emotions. Always consider the volume of the sounds. At some point, sound, no matter how beautiful to your mind and ears, can become noxious, if the volume is too intense.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has some tips on how to protect your hearing and the hearing of children during this holiday season:

Safe Listening Tips: Holiday Gifts and Hearing Protection

Research on Mental Health and Noise

In a recent article, Hadad et al reviewed the literature related to noise and mental health. Whilst there is definitely a need for further research, the literature reveals that noise can be detrimental to our brains and, consequently, to our mental health, eliciting symptoms of depression, anxiety, behavioural problems in children, and even suicide.

Take-aways: Holiday Noise and Mental Wellbeing

Holidays can bring joy to our hearts.

Consider what brings you joy. Sharing time with friends and family? Listening to music? Reminiscing about holidays past? Snowy landscapes inviting us to watch from the warmth of our homes? Volunteering to help our neighbours in need?

Consider what you can do to help someone who will spend the holidays alone and lonely, not because they want to be alone.

Listen to the heartfelt message of this new Christmas song:

One Christmas Night by Producer Hat

Be safe. Be kind. Be judicious with your listening habits. And protect your hearing and your mental health by turning down the volume.

Your neighbours may be grateful, as well.

Disclaimer: The content of this post is not meant to substitute for a consultation with your mental health professional team.

If you are having thoughts of hurting yourself or of hurting someone else, call 9-1-1; call 9-8-8; or go to the nearest emergency room.

Selected References:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (December 11, 2019). Safe Listening Tips: Holiday Gifts and Hearing Protection. Accessed online on December 15, 2024, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96Y-JP2_9gw&t=2s

Hadad, O., Kuntic, M., Al-Kindi, S., Kuntic, I., Gilan, D., Petrowski, K., Daiber, A., Mϋnzel, T. (26 January 2024). Noise and mental health: evidence, mechanisms, and consequences. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, Accessed online on December 15, 2024, at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-024-00642-5