Impulsive sound has been found to annoy people more than steady-state sound or many other types of sound presented at the same sound level. This study examined the physiological, performance, and subjective effects of impulsive sound on working humans. Exposure to impulsive sound (65 dB L_Aeq) was compared with quiet sound (35 dB L_Aeq) and steady-state sound (65 dB L_Aeq). This parallel-group study, where each participant was exposed to one sound condition, had altogether 59 participants. Physiological stress was measured with stress hormone concentrations in plasma (cortisol and noradrenaline), heart rate variability (HRV), and blood pressure. Psychological stress was measured with subjective noise annoyance, workload, and fatigue. Performance was measured in tasks requiring constant concentration (visual and auditory serial recall and N-back). Compared to quiet sound, impulsive sound caused more annoyance, workload, and lack of energy, raised cortisol concentrations, reduced systolic blood pressure, and decreased accuracy in the 3-back task. Compared with steady-state sound, impulsive sound was experienced as more annoying and causing a higher workload and more lack of energy. Impulsive sound caused physiological and psychological stress and decreased performance compared to quiet sound. Part of this load was due to the increased sound level, which was evident as a physiological stress reaction. Still, there was also an extra stress effect related to the impulsiveness of the sound, reflected as a psychological experience. Special care should be paid to impulsive sound, especially in environments where people are performing mental work.

已发现脉冲声音比稳态声音或以相同声级呈现的许多其他类型的声音更能惹恼人们。这项研究检查了脉冲声音对工作人类的生理、表现和主观影响。将暴露于脉冲声音 (65 dB L _Aeq ) 与安静声音 (35 dB L _Aeq ) 和稳态声音 (65 dB L _Aeq）。在这项平行小组研究中，每个参与者都暴露在一种声音条件下，共有 59 名参与者。生理压力通过血浆中的应激激素浓度（皮质醇和去甲肾上腺素）、心率变异性（HRV）和血压来测量。心理压力是通过主观噪音烦恼、工作量和疲劳来衡量的。在需要持续集中注意力的任务（视觉和听觉连续回忆和 N-back）中测量性能。与安静的声音相比，冲动的声音会导致更多的烦恼、工作量和精力不足，增加皮质醇浓度，降低收缩压，并降低 3-back 任务的准确性。与稳态声音相比，脉冲声音更烦人，导致工作量更大，更缺乏能量。与安静的声音相比，冲动的声音会导致生理和心理压力并降低表现。这种负荷的部分原因是声级增加，这显然是一种生理压力反应。尽管如此，声音的冲动性也有额外的压力效应，反映为一种心理体验。应特别注意脉冲声音，尤其是在人们进行脑力劳动的环境中。