From The Verge.

The online survey of 400 adults in the US found the top-rated sound was a “non-tonal” sound more closely resembling a gas-powered car than any of the inorganic sounds emitted by today’s electric vehicles. The survey — a joint effort by “sonic branding agency” Listen and behavioral science and neuromarketing research agency CloudArmy — asked participants to rank a series of sounds based on several criteria, including likability, noticeability, familiarity, and pleasantness. There were five tonal sounds and five non-tonal ones.

The two top-ranking sounds were both non-tonal and could best be described as white noise with slightly different pitches. The survey’s respondents preferred the non-tonal sounds over the tonal ones, which they perceived as being “alarming,” “ugly,” and “unappealing.” In contrast, people liked the non-tonal sounds because they sound more like white noise or “nature-derived.” Indeed, some respondents said they wanted sounds that most closely resembled a conventional car noise.

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