My kids had a half-day of school today and I made last-minute plans to take them to an indoor playground with some friends from school. A couple of other moms had chosen the place, a popular indoor playground in the mall, and I tagged along with my two oldest. I had been to this playground before, so I knew to expect good food, a relatively clean environment and a few other kids for them to play with. What I hadn't noticed in the past or perhaps forgotten was the uncomfortably loud music and microphone volume.
As the children played the other two moms and I tried to carry on a conversation. I began to feel stressed out because I had to pay close attention to them just to hear and understand what they were saying. And I could tell that they were leaning forward and trying to read my lips as I spoke, which made me feel like I needed to speak louder. This may not sound like a big deal, but the longer we sat there trying to pretend we were enjoying ourselves the harder it became to do so. The music continued blaring and then every few minutes one of the employees began to speak into the microphone about various things including raffle tickets, cup cake crafts, simon says, etc.
The noise did not seem to add to anyone's enjoyment. On the contrary, I could tell that the other mothers and I were feeling annoyed by the loud announcements every few minutes. I went ahead and said something to the moms I was with, hoping they wouldn't think that I was a grouch. Both of them agreed with me and one of them even asked the manager to turn the music down.
I was relieved that I was not the only one bothered enough to say something about it. We felt some relief for a few minutes until the employee with the microphone continued to zealously make announcements. I was so confused as to how the manager did not notice how unnecessarily loud these announcements were. This got me wondering if there is a scientific volume at which ambient noise should be played. Also, how much louder should an announcement be than the ambient noise in a given room?
Upon doing some research I found that the World Health Organization considers loud noise a health hazard. It can cause permanent damage at 85 decibels. I wish I had a decibel detector with me today. According to an article I found on lifehacker.com several studies have indicated that stress resulting from ongoing noise can induce the release of cortisol. Too much cortisol impairs function in the prefrontal cortex, which can disrupt a person’s capacity to think clearly and retain information.
Lastly, I was happy to learn that I am not the only one bothered by unnecessarily noisy rooms. According to Zagat voters in Portland, New York, Boston and San Francisco cite noise as their chief complaint after visiting a restaurant.
Most importantly, I don't think that mothers of young children need to deal with any more stress than usual. Many of us choose to have playdates in places like this because it is supposed to be easier and less stressful than having people over. After my experience today I may offer to host the next playdate at my house.