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The Pennsylvania State University
Introduction
As has been proposed by Banning, according to Rooney (1984), campus
ecology has evolved from an awareness that in university settings many problems
do not lie in the individual students, but in the student's environment instead. As a
reflection of the general agreement surrounding this environmental perspective an
increasing number of researchers have begun to focus on the social and
psychological implications triggered by physical environments. Among these,
environmental investigators have assessed the effects of room decor (Mehrabian
& Russell, 1974), noise (Raloff, 1982), lighting and temperature (VandenHagel,
1971), color (Schuh, 1980), design (Getzels, 1974), and size (Conyne, 1975). As
has been pointed out by Grifffin (1990), however, scientific research on the
effects of specific aural factors on the environment has, to date, been scant.
Although the term "aural factor" may refer to a number of acoustic
backgrounds (i.e., white noise, industrial noises, various music types,
environmental sounds such as those emitted by birds or produced by waterfalls),
this paper will focus on the potential ecological uses of soothing background
music on the campus environment.
"Background music" may be defined as the unobtrusive presentation of
music into the environment. Defining the effects of such music, however, tends to
be more complex. The effects that particular music backgrounds elicit across
different populations in general, and specific individuals in particular, are
associated with a number of subject and situational variables. Labeling any
particular music as "soothing," for example, usually involves a subjective
judgement from one or a small number of individuals. Research indicates that the
most effective way to select any music type designed to elicit a particular mood
or feeling is to individualize the stimulus. Overall, however, a number of studies
have also indicated that certain types of music do appear to have fairly universal
or generic effects among large numbers of individuals. As such, researchers have
found that the types of music most effective in promoting relaxation across
different populations fall under classical and "new-age" classifications (Capurso,
1952, Halpern & Savary, 1985). More generally, instrumental music with slow to
moderate tempos, irrespective of the particular musical style or genre, has been
found to be generally soothing in most situations.
Background
The practice of using music to set particular moods in physical settings
has been widely accepted across a number of nonacademic settings for over 40
years. Industrial corporations, businesses, and the entertainment media have
implemented musical backgrounds to induce desired effects upon workers, as
well as the general public. Commercial businesses use familiar music to generate
sales via television and radio advertisements. By associating their merchandise
with familiar tunes an increasing number of companies are using background
music to stimulate potential consumers while subliminally cuing them into
buying their products. Movie industries, observing significant increases in their
audiences, credit the current popularity of music videos which have become one
of the most effective advertising formats in history. Medical, dental, and
psychiatric settings readily use soothing background music to effect both
physiological and psychological responses, reducing fears and anxieties while
enhancing in-patient relaxation. Using music characterized by slow tempos,
which has the effect of slowing down customer shopping patterns, grocery and
department stores have witnessed significant sale increases. Finally, adult
establishments, finding significant increases among their customer's drinking
patterns when music is played, have also found that the provision of soothing
music backgrounds leads to an improvement in patron attitudes and social
behaviors.
The Potential Uses of Soothing Music in the Campus Environment
The introduction of new students to alien academic settings can be
significantly influenced by a number of surrounding physical environmental
factors such as room design, visual aesthetics and furniture comfort. Crowded
spaces, for example, have been found to be associated with higher stress in school
environments (Arhrentzen, Jue, Skorpanish & Evans, 1982). Budget limitations
and limited physical space in universities, however, often tend to curtail the
provision of ideal physical settings. Considering the realities imposed by those
factors, the prudent use of precategorized music backgrounds, widely recognized
in the literature as capable of facilitating a desired ambience, might be the answer
to fulfilling the financial, physical and social necessities presented by various
academic settmgs.
Enhancing the Environment Through Stress Reduction
In most instances the process of sitting in a waiting room is typically
associated with feeling of boredom and aesthetic sterility. As such, the idea that
campus waiting rooms are among the many settings which may benefit from the
provision of background music is supported by research which indicates that
physical environment factors can be positively enhanced by the use of
precategorized music backgrounds. Stratton and Zalanowski (1989), for example,
have shown that precategorized music paired with visual stimuli significantly
affects preexisting moods. They found that pairing pleasant music with either
depressing or pleasant paintings elicits feelings of pleasantness. In addition, they
found that- regardless of the type of painting it was associated with-the music was
effective in decreasing depression, and increasing positive affect. Overall, they
suggest that the music used will "set the mood and then influence how the subject
or client interprets other information" (p. 40). Other investigators have found
similar results in pairing music with visual stimuli (Thayer & Levenson, 1983;
Haack, 1970), while a vast amount of research supports the positive effects of
music on imagery (Bonny, 1980). As such, background music could be used in
waiting rooms to evoke positive feelings or enhance the visual imagery of
physical surroundings.
A vast amount of research also supports the stress and anxiety reducing
effects of soothing music backgrounds. Researchers have indicated that carefully
categorized music is significantly effective in promoting relaxation (Scartelli &
Borling, 1986), reducing state-anxiety (Schuster, 1985), improving attitudes
(Brim, 1978), and providing a pleasant environment (Wolfe, 1983). Beyond
enhancing visual aesthetics the stress and anxiety reducing effects evoked by
music backgrounds would seem of particular importance to waiting rooms
designed to accommodate those persons experiencing psychological distress or
health related problems. As such, the use of soothing background music in such
settings merits particular consideration and discussion.
In particular settings such as health and counseling ceners the stressors
typically associated with the waiting room process are further accentuated by
feelings of anxiety and restlessness. For example, many students seeking
assistance in a university counseling center are often fraught with anxiety,
discomfort and even embarrassment. The feelings of distress which often
precipitate initial counseling visits are further aggravated by the confusion and
disorientation typically associated with new physical environments, such as a
center's waiting room. In effect, research has indicated that among students
seeking counseling as many as 25 % fail to return after their initial visits
(Epperson, Bushway, & Warman, 1983). By inducing feelings of relaxation and
comfort among persons sitting in the waiting room music effectively serves to
ameliorate existing concerns that may exacerbate presenting symptoms. Further,
through effectively masking surrounding sounds the music serves to provide an
ambience of privacy when clients approach the office nurse or receptionist to
describe their concerns or disclose other private information. In addition, by
inducing relaxation and improving attitudes, soothing music also tends to
promote the illusion of reduced waiting room time while making the task of
filling out the required ubiquitous forms appear less tedious. The fact that college
students have indicated that background music promotes overall feelings of
pleasantness when associated with surrounding environments (Wolfe, 1983)
would seem to make music an ideal tool for the promotion of comfort in
university settings. Finally, research has indicated that counseling psychologists
support the use of soothing background music in their environments (Ortiz &
Johnson, 1989). As such, the provision of a positive environmental ambience
which would promote feelings of comfort, relaxation and stability appears
essential to these settings.
Of course, the use of music backgrounds to enhance the ambience of
physical surroundings need not be limited to waiting rooms associated with
campus medical or psychological settings. In effect, the same results described
above can be expected in university settings such as dormitory lobbies,
administrative offices, and faculty lounges.
Reducing Tedium
Among the most dreaded of all university related tasks is that of standing
in lines. These tortuous and seemingly endless rituals are almost continuously
experienced by students who spend significant periods of valuable time waiting to
register for courses, struggle with financial aid, receive their work study checks,
eat at the cafeteria, purchase texts and supplies, check out library books, register
for parking, and in many settings even to enter a recreation room. In these
settings, the state-anxiety reducing effects of soothing music would seem
particularly important and beneficial. Since the presence of background music
has been found to facilitate monotonous tasks, decrease disruptive behaviors
(Jorgenson, 1974), calm and distract persons (Naidu, 1982) and improve moods
(Shatin, 1970) its use would seem ideal in those situations typically associated
with boredom and irritability. As such, academic settings might follow the
example set by airports which use programmed soothing music in their terminals
and during flights to increase tolerance during long waits, as well as decrease
tensions associated with flying.
Music in the Learning Environment
Aside from merely providing comfortable environments Wolfe (1983) indicates that music used in conjunction with learning situations effectively increases attentiveness. Further, findings
have indicated that when background music is introduced as a competing factor
in work situations, the music serves to unobtrusively enhance attention to the
primary task. In other words, the background music acts as a catalyst which
increases environmental stimulation so that overall awareness of the task at hand
is likewise increased (Wolfe, 1983).
The overall beneficial effects of music in academic situations have been
extensively documented and are beyond the scope of this paper. A number of
studies, for example, have indicated that music backgrounds have positive effects
on a variety of academic (Eisenstein, 1974) and language skills (Deutsch & Parks,
1978). In terms of using music's ability to generate increased attentiveness and
accelerate learning, colleges and universities may consider provision of
selectively delegated study areas in dormitories and libraries where music may be
programmed to function as a learning catalyst. Taking advantage of its
unobtrusive masking effects, precategorized background music may provide an
inexpensive solution to testing areas where external sounds may interfere with the
information processing of particular tasks.
Other Potential Uses of Musical Backgrounds
The ecologically sound campus environment may benefit from
background music in various other areas such as cafeterias, physical therapy
settings and bookstores. Cafeterias. By helping to reduce anxiety and slow down activity soothing music played in campus cafeterias may serve to modify
unhealthy eating behaviors exhibited by those students hastily consuming their
dinners before rushing off to their next activity. Physical Therapy Settings. A vast amount of studies have indicated that when used in conjunction with physical therapy, slow, quiet, non-vocal music significantly lowers physiological responses usually associated with stress resulting in desired changes in heart rates, muscle tension, and brain waves. As such, the use of such acoustic backgrounds would seem of particular benefit in campus based physical therapy settings. Bookstores. The use of soothing music in campus bookstores may supply an ambience where students may feel more comfortable to roam and integrate their resources, rather than merely associating these settings with long lines and expensive texts.
Selection of Appropriate Music Types
Before programming specific types of music, or musics, to elicit desirable
responses in any particulr environment the idea of precategorization needs to be
given serious consideration. As such, before precategorizing background music to
be used for the purpose of modifying campus ecology, surveying the targeted
populations presents an essential task. Underscoring this point Banning (1987)
has indicated that in generating a change process "the most reasonable way to
proceed is to have all who will be impacted by the change participate in the
change process" (p. 3). In a university campus environment that idea translates
into the need for the student population to serve as primary categorization
representatives. Successful changes in a campus environment, Banning (1987)
indicates, are typically a result of including the students at the planning and
decision-making stages. In effect, he suggests that "the more persons involved the
less likely the desires of a few will be changing an environment that impact
many" (p. 3). Having identified the types of soothing background music most
preferred by students who typically utilize the particular areas in question, the
campus "music-ecologist" can proceed with the task of programming the music to
positively effect the targeted physical environments.
Conclusion
The promotion of campus ecology through soothing music backgrounds
has a number of practical and theoretical implications. As suggested by Banning
(1984) campus ecology involves a "mindset" which can be modified by placing an
emphasis on the physical environment. As has been discussed, the careful use of
soothing music backgrounds can be instrumental in promoting healthy university
environments by evoking calm and positive mindsets and aesthetically pleasing
surroundings. In terms of using the physical environment to convey desired
messages the campus ecologist may consider soothing music backgrounds as a
potentially effective tool for the purpose of facilitating or enhancing such
messages. Through the emission of positive nonverbal messages, such music
backgrounds announce amiable and amicable surroundings which help to
minimize negative behaviors while promoting positive interpersonal interactions.
The addition of soothing music on campus is an environmental adaptation
to student dissatisfaction, discomfort and a variety of university and academic
related stressors. As such, the potential of music to create a pleasurable, calming
and positive environmental ambience should be considered by campus ecologists
who are interested in promoting healthy ecosystems while facilitating student
development. (References on back page . )
Editor's Note: John M. Ortiz is a Ph.D. candidate in Counseling Psychology from
Penn. State University. He is presently on internship at Colorado State University
and may be reached at the University Counseling Center, CSU, Fort Collins, CO
80523, (303) 491-6053 or (303) 484-6343 (H).
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This material resides on an Indiana State University server and is maintained by
Will Barratt.
Please forward any problems and comments to him.