The study examined the association between noise sensitivity and various musical factors - musical activity, musical preference, frequency of listening to background music, and acoustical environment in childhood. In the questionnaire survey (N = 1133) participants were asked to rate their sensitivity to various kinds of noises, to describe their music preferences, musical activity, and everyday music listening habits. It was found that active musicians were characterized by higher noise sensitivity compare to nonmusicians. Also people, who do not listen to background music very frequently, have the slightly higher level of noise sensitivity, as well as those, who prefer complex and reflective musical genres. Individuals, who lived in a noisy environment, were less sensitive to noise than those, who stayed in a silent environment. The findings are discussed in terms of theories of selective attention and habituation mechanisms to information overload.
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