VIDEO: New Kia Seltos’ sounds of nature can make you smarter

Carmakers are constantly trying to outfox each other with unique selling points. A prime example of this is the “Sound of nature” feature in the new Kia Seltos.

The Citizen Motoring discovered this interesting feature by chance while test driving the new Kia Seltos SUV in flagship 1.5T-GDI GT Line guise this week.

Watch Kia Seltos’ nature soundtracks video

Sounds of nature can be selected alongside FM/AM radio, Bluetooth device or USB on the media menu on the 10.25-inch infotainment system. It includes five soundtracks; Night in the County; Cricket Conversations; Birds Singing with Sea; Rainy Days and Calm Sea Waves, each recorded around the world.

Night in the Country features a picture of campers out in the countryside. This authentic soundtrack features hooting owls, croaking frogs and chirping crickets.

Cricket Conversations is pretty much self-explanatory. Overwhelming chirps from what seems like hundreds of crickets blare over the speakers with the backdrop picture of a forest at night.

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Making waves

Birds Singing at Sea shows a picture of the two main sounds heard on this track, sea gulls and waves crashing into rocks.

Rainy Days are not as calming as we thought it might be. Which is probably good thing ensuring the driver won’t be falling asleep behind the steering wheel.

It features rain drops pelting down on what seems like a tin roof, which thunder joining in later on.
Calm Sea Waves shows a picture of a wave breaking, which is all there is too this soundtrack.

After doing a little research, we discovered that these sounds aren’t merely a gimmick. The Korean manufacturer says the natural sounds in the Kia Seltos is pink noise.

Helping the grey matter

It goes on by saying “It increases the alpha waves in the brain, inducing the flow state of consciousness, the state in which the brain is at its most creative”.

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Katherine Lewis, a creative scientist and futurist, says that listening to these songs have clear benefits
“We found that people were more creative when they had listened to the songs. You could see increased alpha and theta power,” she says.

“A coherence of brainwaves was seen and increased connectivity, particularly connecting the occipital and frontal parts of the brain, where our emotional control center is situated. And the areas connected to increased creativity and flow states.”

The Kia Seltos range starts at R467 995.