Why is a rooster crowing viewed as a noise nuisance?

For some this is part of rural life, for others it is almost unbearable. Researchers in Vienna have now created a database of screams and analyzed what exactly unnerves them.

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What does noise do to us? Self-perception determines when noise becomes annoying.

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In addition to size, according to Reuters, there are two other characteristics that make a rooster's crowing seem particularly disturbing. “There is a frequency range of 2 to 4 kHz, which is the range in which we hear particularly well,” Reuter explains. “When the noise is high in this area, we often consider it very disturbing.” Squeaking sounds or babies crying also have a similar effect.

In our history of noise we show what is loud, how loud it is in our world and what is the loudest sound yet.

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For the study, researchers rated different rooster sounds based on their characteristics and then had 51 test subjects rate how annoyed they found them. This resulted in a matrix that can be used to accurately determine how annoying screaming is and to provide the most objective measure possible.

The age of the participants played a role. In general, older people found roosters crowing more annoying. In general, strong feelings of disgust are primarily associated with the harshness of screaming and high spectral energy content at 4000 Hz.

The so-called Kosovo Long Roar is known for its noise. Some specimens crow for up to 70 seconds, but no rooster crows longer.

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The science of good hearing: 15 million people in Germany suffer from hearing loss. Only a few of them wear hearing aids. But good hearing is very important for orientation, communication and hazard recognition.

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