Soundscapes and Emotional Experiences in World Heritage Temples: Implications for Religious Architectural Design

The impact of soundscapes in religious architecture on public psychology has garnered increasing attention in both research and policy domains. However, the mechanisms by which temple soundscapes influence public emotions remain scientifically unclear. This paper aims to explore how soundscapes in t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yanling Li, Xiaocong Li, Ming Gao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2681
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The impact of soundscapes in religious architecture on public psychology has garnered increasing attention in both research and policy domains. However, the mechanisms by which temple soundscapes influence public emotions remain scientifically unclear. This paper aims to explore how soundscapes in temple architectures designated as World Natural and Cultural Heritage sites affect visitors’ experiences. Considering visitors with diverse social and demographic backgrounds, the research design includes subjective soundscape evaluations and EEG measurements from 193 visitors at two World Heritage temples. The results indicate that visitors’ religious beliefs primarily affect their soundscape perception, while their soundscape preferences show specific correlations with chanting and human voices. Furthermore, compared to males, females exhibit greater sensitivity to emotional variations induced by soundscape experiences. Urban architects can enhance visitors’ positive emotional experiences by integrating soundscape design into the planning of future religious architectures, thereby creating pleasant acoustic environments.
ISSN:2075-5309