Infrasound exposure is linked to aversive responding, negative appraisal
A study of 36 participants found that exposure to infrasound at ~18 Hz, though imperceptible, was linked to increased salivary cortisol levels and more negative self-reported mood, including higher irritability, disinterest, and sadness, regardless of whether the accompanying music was calming or unsettling. The effects occurred without participants detecting the infrasound or having expectancy biases. These results suggest infrasound may act as a subconscious environmental stressor in humans. The findings align with prior animal research showing aversive responses to low-frequency sound.
- ▪Infrasound exposure at ~18 Hz was associated with significantly elevated salivary cortisol, a physiological marker of stress.
- ▪Participants reported higher levels of irritability, disinterest, and sadness after infrasound exposure, even though they could not detect the sound above chance.
- ▪The study used a 2×2 experimental design with calming or unsettling music, and infrasound effects were consistent across both music types.
- ▪Random-forest modeling identified cortisol and mood measures as key predictors of infrasound exposure, supporting their role in the observed effects.
- ▪No expectancy effects were found, indicating that participants' responses were not influenced by awareness or beliefs about infrasound presence.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
ORIGINAL RESEARCH articleFront. Behav. Neurosci., 27 April 2026 Sec. Individual and Social BehaviorsVolume 20 - 2026 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1729876Infrasound exposure is linked to aversive responding, negative appraisal, and elevated salivary cortisol in humansKRKale R. Scatterty 1,2DVDawson VonStein 1LBLisa B. Prichard 3BCBrian C. Franczak 4TJTrevor J. Hamilton 1,2*RMRodney M. Schmaltz 1*1. Department of Psychology, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada2. Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada3. Department of Biological Sciences, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada4.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Frontiers.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Frontiers
