At the very least, noise may be annoying or displeasing or may disrupt the activity or balance of human or animal life, increasing levels of aggression, hypertension and stress.
[10][11] In animals, noise can increase the risk of death by altering predator or prey detection and avoidance, interfering with reproduction and navigation,[12] and contributing to permanent tinnitus and hearing loss.
[17] Aircraft noise can be reduced by using quieter jet engines,[18][19][20] altering flight paths and considering the time of day to benefit residents near airports.
In audio systems and broadcasting, specific methods are used to obtain subjectively valid results in order that different devices and signal paths may be compared regardless of the inconsistent spectral distribution and temporal properties of the noise that they generate.
In particular, the ITU-R 468 noise weighting was devised specifically for this purpose and is widely used for professional audio and broadcast measurements.