It may be that the risk of developing mental or physical illness attributable
to environmental noise is quite small, although it is too soon to be certain
of this in terms of the progress of research. Part of the problem is that
the interaction between people, noise and ill-health is a complex one.
Humans are not usually passive recipients of noise exposure and can
develop coping strategies to reduce the impact of noise exposure. If people
do not like noise they may take action to avoid it by moving away from
noisy environments or, if they are unable to move away, by developing
coping strategies. Active coping with noise may be sufficient to mitigate
any ill-effects. Perception of control over the noise source may reduce
the threat of noise and the belief that it can be harmful.