Interaction effects of acoustics at and between human and environmental levels: A review of the acoustics in the indoor environment

People spend around 90% of their time indoors, where they are exposed to various physical stressors, such as unpleasant sounds, odours, temperature, and lighting, which may cause annoyance and discomfort. This literature review is focused on substantial studies that emphasize noise as a physical stressor in the indoor environment. Previous studies showed that background noise has a significant impact on human health. Adding to that, several other studies showed significant cross-modal effects between noise and other environmental stressors. However, various previous studies focused on quantifying the indicators of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) factors rather than studying the differences of each occupant on their preferences and needs. Hence, this literature review highlights studies that take into account the interaction effects of acoustics at and between human and environmental levels. This review study aimed at identifying the key indicators to be taken into account for evaluating acoustical quality.