Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland.
Acoustic Research Centre, University of Auckland.
Health Psychol. 2014 Apr;33(4):360-4. doi: 10.1037/a0031760. Epub 2013 Mar 11.
The development of new wind farms in many parts of the world has been thwarted by public concern that subaudible sound (infrasound) generated by wind turbines causes adverse health effects. Although the scientific evidence does not support a direct pathophysiological link between infrasound and health complaints, there is a body of lay information suggesting a link between infrasound exposure and health effects. This study tested the potential for such information to create symptom expectations, thereby providing a possible pathway for symptom reporting.
A sham-controlled double-blind provocation study, in which participants were exposed to 10 min of infrasound and 10 min of sham infrasound, was conducted. Fifty-four participants were randomized to high- or low-expectancy groups and presented audiovisual information, integrating material from the Internet, designed to invoke either high or low expectations that exposure to infrasound causes specified symptoms.
High-expectancy participants reported significant increases, from preexposure assessment, in the number and intensity of symptoms experienced during exposure to both infrasound and sham infrasound. There were no symptomatic changes in the low-expectancy group.
Healthy volunteers, when given information about the expected physiological effect of infrasound, reported symptoms that aligned with that information, during exposure to both infrasound and sham infrasound. Symptom expectations were created by viewing information readily available on the Internet, indicating the potential for symptom expectations to be created outside of the laboratory, in real world settings. Results suggest psychological expectations could explain the link between wind turbine exposure and health complaints.
世界许多地区新的风力发电场的发展受阻，原因是公众担心风力涡轮机产生的亚声级声音（次声）会对健康造成不良影响。尽管科学证据并不支持次声与健康问题之间存在直接的病理生理学联系，但有大量的非专业信息表明次声暴露与健康影响之间存在联系。本研究检验了这种信息是否有可能产生症状预期，从而为症状报告提供了一种可能的途径。
进行了一项模拟控制双盲激发研究，其中参与者暴露于 10 分钟的次声和 10 分钟的模拟次声中。54 名参与者被随机分配到高或低期望组，并呈现视听信息，整合了来自互联网的材料，旨在引起对次声暴露引起特定症状的高或低期望。
高期望组报告在暴露于次声和模拟次声期间，经历的症状数量和强度从预暴露评估开始显著增加。低期望组没有出现症状变化。
健康志愿者在获得有关次声预期生理效应的信息后，在暴露于次声和模拟次声期间报告了与该信息一致的症状。通过观看互联网上 readily available 的信息产生了症状预期，表明在实验室外，在现实世界环境中，症状预期可能会产生。结果表明，心理预期可能可以解释风力涡轮机暴露与健康投诉之间的联系。
