For Hyperlocal Provotype 1.0 I tested how natural versus urban soundscapes affect our bodies, and whether engaging more senses deepens the calming effect. Participants listened to forest and city tracks on noise-cancelling headphones, held scented sticks to smell and touch, and wore heart-rate monitors, with surveys before and after.
Everyone's heart rate dropped after the forest track. Half closed their eyes in the forest sounds; no one did during the city noise, which people accepted but found unsettling. The takeaway: engaging the senses with nature brought people to a state of caring more deeply.
I'm not convinced my coded heart-rate monitor was accurate, and I'd widen the group across areas further from nature. Joseph is helping me with the coding, and sensors open a real path for gathering data.
