Research
My research spans multiple disciplines, focusing on the sensory, situational, and extrinsic influences on well-being, with particular attention to vulnerable populations.
Below are selected projects that highlight my contributions to these fields.
Narrative Listening Experiences of Older Adults with Vision Loss
Leisurely reading provides significant cognitive, emotional, and social benefits for older adults. However, age-related vision loss can disrupt the ability to engage with print literature. This project explores how older adults transition from reading to listening and how audiobooks serve as an alternative medium for narrative engagement. Using a qualitative approach, I investigate how individuals experience spoken stories, the challenges they face, and the broader impact on quality of life and social participation.
Acoustic Environments and Eating Experiences
My research extends into the role of soundscapes in shaping eating behaviors and experiences, particularly in healthcare settings. The "Music is Served" project explored the impact of acoustic modifications and music interventions in hospital dining environments to improve mealtime well-being for patients with acquired brain injuries. By integrating environmental acoustics with sensory science in a clinical setting, this work demonstrated how controlled soundscapes reduce stress, enhance social interactions, and improve the mealtime experience. The study’s findings have been applied in multiple neurological wards and dementia care facilities across Denmark, emphasizing the real-world impact of my research.
Perceptual Relationships Between Musical Features and Behaviour
My early interest in how sound and music influence human behaviour led me to extensively explore food consumption and eating habits. Studying cross-modal correspondences, I showed that musical tempo significantly affects meal duration, where slower tempos lead to longer eating times. These insights contribute to public health interventions, offering evidence-based strategies for modulating eating behavior through auditory stimuli. My findings provide a foundation for future research on sensory-driven behavioral changes and their applications in various settings, including dining environments and therapeutic contexts.
