Effects of Distortion of Time Perception Caused by White Noise on Executive Function

Exposure to elevated noise levels is common nowadays and can cause cognitive and emotional disturbances. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of brief white-noise (WN) exposure on time perception, mood, emotion, and executive function. Fifteen healthy university students were subjected to the control (40–50 dBA) and WN (80–85 dBA) conditions. Participants completed retrospective temporal judgments (using the Visual Analogue Scale) and prospective time production tasks (using a stopwatch), mood and emotion assessments, and the Trail Making Test (TMT) for evaluating executive function. WN significantly prolonged prospective time production, while retrospective temporal judgment remained unchanged. Mood and emotion assessments revealed significant deterioration under WN, with irritability emerging as a key predictor and explaining 30.7% of the variance in prospective time production. However, executive function, measured by the TMT, showed no significant changes. Notably, subgroup analyses indicated that individuals with lower levels of distortion in prospective time production experienced a decline in cognitive flexibility under WN conditions. These findings suggest that while brief WN exposure distorts prospective time production (potentially without explicit awareness) and adversely affects mood and emotion, its impact on executive function appears limited and varies by individual susceptibility.