LFG Handbook - Introduction
- Art of Hearing | Dyon Scheijen
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Introduction
Understanding low-frequency sound beyond measurements
Low-frequency noise (LFS) is a subject that has raised questions among residents, professionals, and researchers for decades. In the Netherlands, municipal health services, environmental agencies, and municipalities regularly receive reports from people experiencing a hum, thud, or vibration in their homes or living environments. These often involve sounds that are particularly noticeable at night or in quiet spaces and can be perceived as particularly bothersome.
For professionals working with these reports, a complex situation often arises. Residents experience clear nuisance, while measurements do not always provide a clear explanation. Sometimes low frequencies are measured that match residents' experience. In other cases, measurement results remain limited, or it proves difficult to identify a clear source.
This difference between measurement and experience constitutes one of the central challenges in the field of low-frequency sound.
The study of low-frequency sound has yielded important insights over the past decades. Internationally, reference is often made to the work of Leventhall , who conducted extensive research into the physical properties of low frequencies and their possible relationship with nuisance perceptions (Leventhall, 2004). His work emphasizes, among other things, that low frequencies behave differently from higher frequencies and can therefore develop their own dynamics in buildings and residential environments.
Important knowledge has also been built up in the Netherlands. Reports by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) have provided insight into measurement methods, potential sources of low-frequency noise, and ways in which nuisance can be investigated (RIVM, various reports). In addition, researchers and consultants such as Jan van Muijlwijk , Piet Sloven , and Carel Ostendorf have contributed through their work to understanding reports of low-frequency noise and the practical challenges involved. In particular, field studies describing source investigation and measurement strategies show that identifying low-frequency noise is often complex and does not always lead to an unambiguous conclusion (Ostendorf, 2009).
A recurring picture emerges from this literature: low-frequency sound is not only a technical issue of acoustics and measurements, but also an issue of perception and human experience .
In practice, this means that two people can receive the same sound signal and yet have a completely different experience.
To better understand this complexity, a broader perspective is proposed in this handbook. A perspective in which, in addition to the physical properties of sound, attention is also paid to the role of the brain and to the human experience in which sound acquires meaning.
The Hearing Triptych (Scheijen, 2026) is used as a conceptual framework. This model describes sound perception as the result of the interaction between three domains:
sound – brain – human experience.
This perspective aligns with insights from various fields of research. In audiology , Jastreboff's neurophysiological model has shown that sound perception is not determined exclusively by the auditory system, but also by the interaction with emotional and attention systems in the brain (Jastreboff, 1990). This model has played an important role in understanding tinnitus and other forms of sound perception.
Later research has further developed these insights within cognitive-behavioral approaches to tinnitus. In particular, the work of Cima and colleagues has shown that psychological processes such as attention, interpretation, and coping can play an important role in the perceived burden of sound experiences (Cima et al., 2012).
It is also known in broader psychology that the way people interpret bodily signals influences their experience of them. The fear-avoidance model , developed by Vlaeyen and colleagues , describes how attention, fear, and avoidance behavior can contribute to the reinforcement of bodily or sensory experiences (Vlaeyen & Linton, 2000).
When these insights are combined, a broader understanding of sound perception emerges. Not as a purely physical phenomenon, but as a process in which sound, the brain, and human experience constantly influence each other.
What becomes visible in these insights is that low-frequency sound cannot be captured within a single perspective.
Measurements provide information about the physical signal, but do not automatically explain the perceived nuisance. At the same time, a purely psychological approach does not do justice to the physical reality of the sound itself.
The core of the issue lies precisely in the tension between what is measurable and what is experienced.
To understand that tension, an integrated approach is needed in which sound, brain processing, and human experience are considered in conjunction.
This handbook aims to contribute to that broader perspective.
It is written for professionals who deal with low-frequency sound in their work, including:
• audiologists
• clinical physicists
• Municipal Health Service doctors
• acoustic consultants
• environmental services
policymakers
researchers
The goal is not to replace existing knowledge, but to connect different perspectives.
For anyone working with low-frequency sound soon realizes that no single discipline can explain the whole story alone.
Precisely for this reason, understanding low-frequency sound requires collaboration between disciplines in which technical analysis, knowledge of hearing, and insight into human experience complement each other.
Literature (key sources)
Leventhall, H.G. (2004). Low frequency noise and annoyance. Noise & Health.
RIVM. Reports on low-frequency noise and nuisance.
Van Muijlwijk, J. Publications on low-frequency sound.
Sloven, P. Reports and analyses regarding low-frequency sound.
Ostendorf, C. (2009). How to find the source of low frequency noise: three case studies. Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control.
Jastreboff, P. J. (1990). Phantom auditory perception (tinnitus): mechanisms of generation and perception. Neuroscience Research.
Cima, RFF, et al. (2012). Specialized treatment based on cognitive behavioral therapy versus usual care for tinnitus. The Lancet.
Vlaeyen, JWS, & Linton, SJ (2000). Fear-avoidance and its consequences in chronic pain. Pain.
Scheijen, D. (2026). The Hearing Triptych: Sound, Brain and Human Experience.
Art of Hearing. Available at:
Comments