The Chronic Psychological Burden of Urban Noise and Light Pollution: A Cross-Sectional Study of a Major Crossroads in Daegu, South Korea

Abstract

Background: Residential environmental stressors, such as noise and light pollution, significantly impact psychological well-being.While individual sensitivity and cognitive perception are known to influence environmental annoyance, how these factors operate differently across auditory and visual modalities over the long term remains poorly understood.Objectives: This study investigated the determinants of annoyance induced by environmental noise (auditory) and light pollution (visual) by comparing the impact of individual sensitivity and cognitive perception on long-term psychological responses.Methods: Data collected from 179 residents were analyzed using logistic regression and interaction pattern analysis.The study specifically examined the roles of residence duration, modality-specific sensitivity, and the alignment between subjective cognitive evaluation and actual psychological reactions.Results: Residence duration emerged as the most potent predictor of annoyance, with long-term residence (≥5 years) exhibiting the highest odds ratios for both noise (OR=2.53)and light (OR=2.92).Although the interaction terms were not statistically significant, the descriptive interaction patterns suggested possible modality-specific tendencies that require confirmation though future studies: sensitivity accelerated vulnerability under auditory stress but showed reversed or diminished effects under visual stress.Furthermore, a distinct discrepancy occurred between cognitive evaluation and psychological reaction; in the 'Unconcerned' group (favorable environmental evaluators), noise annoyance reached 57% at ≥5 years of residence, indicating a failure of subjective habituation, whereas light annoyance remained stable at 22%. Conclusions:The findings suggest that noise sensitivity may operate as an auditory-specific trait, and that the intrusive nature of noise could potentially weaken cognitive defense mechanisms, thereby contributing to chronic psychological costs.This study underscores the potential necessity of modality-specific urban policies that address the duration-dependent effects of exposure and the distinct characteristics of auditory versus visual stress.