Effect of music in large activity spaces on the perceptions and behaviours of older adults in China

The role of soundscape quality is being increasingly recognised in human well-being. This is also true for older adults, an increasingly growing group. In this study, we investigated the influence of different sound environments on the emotions and behaviour of older adults, as well as the correlation between crowd density and sound environment. This study was conducted in large and comprehensive activity spaces in a residential aged care facility in China. The participants included older adults who utilize or reside at the centre; they were divided into a control group and an experimental group. The experimental and control groups were provided a ‘with music’ or ‘no music’ environment, respectively. By setting the music type in the experimental group, we found that positive emotional experience and satisfaction were higher with slow-rhythmed music than that with fast-rhythmed music (p < 0.001). Crowd density was also significantly higher when slow-rhythmed music was played compared to that during fast-rhythmed music. Under the setting of natural sounds, the pleasure associated with individual activities was significantly higher than that of group activities. With an increase in crowd density, correlation with natural sounds was also increased. Overall, these research results provide a theoretical basis for the accurate control of audio variables in residential aged care facilities