Acoustic Ecology is the relation between the living and the sonic environment surrounding them. The human body and the sound environment, whether natural or manufactured, are tightly correlated. This is obvious in several examples: how alpha brainwaves become hypnotized by repetitive, percussive beats; how loud sounds can lead to health problems, including heart disease; how listening to certain types of music can increase the listener's ability to concentrate and emotion.
Essentially the human body runs off of rhythm and frequencies. So it makes sense that the sound environment can affect the body.
I find it interesting that some areas are actually trying to protect the acoustic environment by banning certain sounds from areas in order to allow the relaxing ambient tones of nature flourish. This is beneficial to both the humans and animals in the area. I think acoustic ecology is overlooked by many people. Sound is usually taken for granted and naively ignored. Because we're so immersed in sound we tend to forget we're around it, much like breathing, we do it but we forget that we're going through the process. Just stop for a few minutes a day and listen to the natural sounds and relax.
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