This Is Your Brain on Silence

http://nautil.us/issue/16/nothingness/this-is-your-brain-on-silence

by pmcpinto • 12 years ago

145 71 12 years ago

Dru89• 12 years ago

In our office, we have "Quiet Rooms." Many people go there to grab a fifteen to twenty minute nap, but I find myself going there when the noise just gets to be too much.

I've found that many problems, even software problems, can be solved in a completely dark, quiet room. At the very least, it helps reduce stress levels and allows you to try to tackle the problem again when you get back with a fresh mind.

epaladin• 12 years ago

I've found the dark/quiet room to be useful for brainstorming in general. I've only actively utilized that tactic a couple of times though, I should try it more often. On those occasions I found that coming up with decent ideas seemed to be easier, just by sitting at a table with the lights off. Perhaps this allows the brain to let go of the world in front of you a little bit and lets the creative side take the foreground.

gregpilling• 12 years ago

I find that I need some quiet time everyday or I get irritable. An office with a solid door and insulated walls is at work, and I have a quiet room at home.

qzxvwt2• 12 years ago

Who honestly couldn't foresee that sensory deprivation would be a luxury. We already have to pay to remove advertising from our lives.

findjashua4• 12 years ago

Could you elaborate on paying to remove advertising? I don't think I've paid anything other than $5 donation to AdBlock.

saraid216• 12 years ago

There are quite a few sites and apps that are "we will show you ads, unless you pay us, then we'll stop".

qzxvwt2• 12 years ago

Generally, on and off the web, media can be free as long as you're willing to let your experience be mediated by advertising to a degree.

Your own private experiences can be devoid of ads, but private possessions usually cost money.

For example in NYC, if you're taking the subway or bus, your visual landscape is bombarded with ads. If you pay for a cab you have less. If you buy your own car you aren't necessarily subjected to that beyond the billboards and signage you'd find on public roads. If you can afford to live in the Hamptons and take a helicopter to and from Manhattan, you have that much more control over your environment.

But like you said, even Adblock isn't really free.

geekam3• 12 years ago

You are fortunate if you have a quiet room or dark room at work. Even more if you have an office which reduces noise.

Two of my biggest points when I try to find a job -

* As small a commute as possible and hopefully public transportation availability (have achieved this time and again)

* Place where I get an office, quiet room. (Have never achieved this)

doorhammer4• 12 years ago

* Place where I get an office, quiet room. (Have never achieved this)

I've taken to listening to static/brown noise at work to drown everything out. It's not nearly as relaxing as actual silence but it blocks most extraneous noises and doesn't distract me like music

geekam3• 12 years ago

I have no idea about the static noise! Thanks for mentioning, I need to try that. I found this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yb-G7Y9ZR8. Is this what you are talking about?

I usually listen to some classical music. It is less distracting than anything else and is pleasant (depending on what you are listening to).

mbrock5• 12 years ago

Yeah. Or work remotely from places that respect the sublime power of silence, like certain public libraries, especially academic libraries.

I think my love of silence is a big part of the whole foundation for my political and spiritual leanings. I loathe capitalism because it's noisy in all kinds of ways. And zazen, that speaks for itself.

I know many Zen practitioners from Finland. They're all so lovely; I lack words. The whole aesthetic of Zen: lightning on a black sky; the moonshine reflecting in the lake; the far-off bird cry... It's all Finland.

Compare all this to the typical open office. Why do we accept such painful environments? How can some people be so comfortable in full-time office jobs? It chafes on me like a hairshirt.

gonehome• 12 years ago

Did you have any siblings close in age?

Sometimes I wonder if that influences how people can handle commotion. I grew up with three little sisters close in age and between them and my mom literally nothing outside of that even registers as a blip on my radar.

I also find that in very quiet environments I can get restless - all anecdotal, but made me wonder about it.

geekam3• 12 years ago

Or work remotely from places that respect the sublime power of silence, like certain public libraries, especially academic libraries

True. I have been really trying to find a job that allows me to work remotely. I have an amazing setup at home, more like a sacred space but no job to use it for.

I know many Zen practitioners from Finland.

How's the immigration of Finland? I might just move there.

Why do we accept such painful environments?

Some of us really do not have a choice.

How can some people be so comfortable in full-time office jobs?

Human beings do get used to and adjust in a new environment but I have seen the irritation in my colleagues and I know what's up with them. I believe it is the same thing as I have, just no private space which is crucial.

Example: Someone at work lost their close family and we assume that it's all hunky-dory after we have offered condolences. But again, some of us just do not have a choice.

enra• 12 years ago

I've been living in Bay Area for the past couple of years, and every time I go back home (Helsinki, Finland), first thing I notice how quiet it is.

Even in the middle of the city, with people hustling around, its not noisy. Somehow the city streets, cars and people are quieter.

Same with restaurants, you can actually have an conversation even with a larger table without yelling since everyone in the restaurant talks with a respectful volume.

And you can live in a downtown apartment and hear absolutely no street noise during the day or night.

The quiet times or less noisy places is one of the things I miss. In Bay Area you really need to look for it, to find a place with quietness which is usually far away from highways, roads and apparently people.

findjashua4• 12 years ago

For some reason I have always associated Zen monasteries with Japan. I've never been there, but judging from shows/movies, the cities there (esp Tokyo) seem pretty noisy, and overstimulating in general. On the other hand, Scandinavia seems very calm and serene (exception - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). Anyone who's visited/lived in any of these places, is this an accurate portrayal?

eurleif3• 12 years ago

I loathe capitalism because it's noisy in all kinds of ways.

If communism is less noisy, it's because the state has forcibly silenced people. You can't hear them because they have a gun to their head. Don't forget that.

vinchuco• 12 years ago

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-H10A-Optime-Earmuff/dp/B0000...

ojbyrne• 12 years ago

The Q & A on those actually says:

Q: I want to get this for use in the office. I hear everything from birds, keyboarding to footsteps. Earplugs are a pain. Would you recommend a pair?

A: Nope - They are designed to cut out noise at higher levels. Solid earplugs are best to cut out noise from birds, footsteps, keyboards (even loud breathing). With these earmuffs you will likely still hear these "quiet sounds". Now if you are around leaf blowers, lawn tractors, heavy machinery, .50 caliber guns, or the like you will be happy with the comfort level that these muffs provide!

brightsize2• 12 years ago

On several occasions I've been on solo backcountry hikes, stopped to rest, and realized that I could hear absolutely nothing. No wind. Not even bug-noise. Zero. It is truly sublime, transcendent, something entirely outside of ordinary human experience. Just typing this, laptop keys clicking, fan whirring, electrical timer creaking, crows squawking, the uncouth hollering of neighbors outside, cars rumbling in the distance, I am longing to experience such silence again.

lutusp• 12 years ago

Sometimes when I'm on my boat in Alaska, the wind dies and the water's surface becomes a mirror of the sky. It's absolutely silent. I realize what we miss living among people in towns and cities -- we're denied the pleasure of silence.

The other time I experience this is when I cross Death Valley and camp on the unoccupied far side (an annual outing). There, also, the wind sometimes dies. But there, even the noises my boat makes are absent, as well as being a very beautiful environment:

http://i.imgur.com/M6iQpyU.jpg

Silence -- like many things, you don't miss it until it's gone.

macNchz• 12 years ago

I swear by getting out into the wilderness as a means of disconnecting and finding a sort of deep, long-lasting relaxation. My trips aren't extreme, but we hike long enough to be worn out at the end of the day, and deep enough into the forest to escape the sounds of civilization, and the reaches of cell service.

I've always loved backpacking, but the more connected I've become, the more important these trips have become to maintaining a sense of well being.

rch2• 12 years ago

Having spent a bit of time in an anechoic chamber, I can say that true silence can be a powerful experience. There's a physical sensation of pressure being lifted, and intense feeling of focus (at least for me). I'd go well out of my way to hop in one again.

anigbrowl• 12 years ago

While it's not the same kind of silence, getting out into a desert is the next best thing. I did production sound for a film last year where we spent nearly a month out in the Mojave and the quiet environment more than made up for the extra physical challenges.

Shinkei2• 12 years ago

I think it's worth mentioning that extreme absence of sound is not a condition that humans can tolerate.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2124581/The-w...

rch2• 12 years ago

Here's a video response^ by a guy who wanted to test this assertion. He spent about an hour in one at BYU, and seemed comfortable enough throughout. Interesting points: at around the 16 minute mark, he verbally estimates his time at 8 minutes; after the 45 min is up he asks for the lights to be turned on, and gets no response from the people outside the chamber. He calmly finds the door by using his cell phone as a light.

^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXVGIb3bzHI

Houshalter• 12 years ago

What about deaf people?

noir_lord2• 12 years ago

Silicon earplugs are sanity savers, I don't sleep without them as I have sleep problems.

I also use them sometimes when I need to concentrate.

Eiriksmal• 12 years ago

The cochlea converts physical vibrations into electrical signals that the brain receives. The body reacts immediately and powerfully to these signals, even in the middle of deep sleep. ... The activation prompts an immediate release of stress hormones like cortisol. People who live in consistently loud environments often experience chronically elevated levels of stress hormones.

This article got me thinking... what if I'm waking up feeling tired not because my mattress is aging and terrible, but because I moved from a quiet house to one that's 500 feet away from some train tracks? Even with a line of trees and other houses between the tracks and my bedroom, you can still hear the trains go thundering by, regardless of the time of day.

plainOldText• 12 years ago

Have you tried to sleep with earplugs on? Do you still wke up tired then? Also, I think the environment can have a much deeper impact on our health than most doctors like to admit. You could also wake up feeling tired as a result of changes in air quality (chemicals, mold, spores, wall paint, even furniture materials apparently).

Here's an interesting collection of reads:

http://readpiles.com/pile/Environmental-Illnesses,-Chemical-...

Throwaway1224• 12 years ago

I lived in Finland for six years. I speak the language fluently.

:crickets:

BoppreH• 12 years ago

Great article, but I think I'm missing something. Several times through it I thought: "ok, but what about obvious explanation?".

Examples:

  People who live in consistently loud environments often 
  experience chronically elevated levels of stress hormones.

But did they prove correlation or causation? To me most things that make noise also cause stress. Construction work makes lots of noise and changes your routine. A failing piece of hardware brings me technical headaches along with the noise. The article implies it's the noise itself that caused that.

  “In the absence of sound, the brain often tends to 
  produce internal representations of sound.”

When I think of a song, I can hear it in a very similar way to actual songs. Isn't this fairly well known? Same thing with the abrupt silence increasing attention. That seems... obvious?

  There seemed to be a type of background brain activity 
  that was most visible, paradoxically, when the test 
  subject was in a quiet room, doing absolutely nothing.

First thing I would do is attribute this to the internal monologue, but I see no mention of that. When I'm by myself I'm definitely thinking harder than when listening to music. It's hard to actually do nothing, as people who meditate can tell you. Yet it's talked like it's entirely subconscious activity.

I enjoyed reading this piece, and did learn a few things, but it frustrates me to no end when they gloss over stuff like this. Maybe they are not as obvious as I thought, or I missed something that clearly proves them wrong, but my feeling is that the article ignores common sense in a few spots.

nyrulez• 12 years ago

Correlation vs causation has sort of become a cultural trapdoor to all new claims. In reality, it is very hard to find the actual cause of many things we take for granted. Its often that the first event that sets off the chain of events is mentioned as the cause itself. Sometimes even if one doesn't know the mechanism, as long as you can reliably reproduce or predict the same, its seen as good enough for practical purposes, if not for textbook teaching.

For example, not drinking water for a day tends to make me thirsty. Thats a correlation. Is it the cause? Not really. It just sets off a chain of events, which triggers dehydration, and eventually neuro chemical triggers of thirst somewhere in my brain centre.Even that centre is probably not well understood. But we still say "not drinking water causes thirst". it may be possible to mess with that circuitry to avoid these feelings. In fact a lot of neurological drugs prey on this fact.

Causality is a very philosopical subject. But I would argue that for most practical purposes, reproducibility and predictability are often good enough to be useful, even if mechanism is currently unknown.

See manipulation theories in causality (along with some intro on causality calculus) if you really want to dig deep into the beast known as causality.

neoterics3• 12 years ago

Are there any studies that show the advantages of open space offices? I loathe them so much, constant distractions with people on the phone, clickyty clacks of tens of keyboards, people laughing & talking loudly etc. etc.

How do people think that this open environment can be conducive to productivity? It just blows my mind. We see such studies all the time about silence, yet most companies (especially in the Bay Area) are moving towards the open space layout. Are they just incapable of rationally thinking about this and doing it just because it's the new and cool thing in town and others are doing it?

I always end up being the most productive during holiday season (I wish our company gave us the option to work from home).

devindotcom• 12 years ago

Some people work better in those circumstances, believe it or not. I personally don't, but others do - they thrive on being in the midst of activity, are stimulated by it. Both types should be accommodated, I'd say, but it's hard to justify giving someone an office just because they prefer to be alone. Luckily working from home is an option, though, as you point out, not for everyone just yet.

Strangely enough, I actually read very well when at a crowded bar. The background music and conversation, even if it's loud, sort of makes my brain focus on the book at hand, and I'm able to concentrate on it as well or better than I might have in a library reading room. Plus, you know, beer.

neovive• 12 years ago

I think the people who work well in open office spaces are the same people that enjoy working for hours in busy coffee shops. Perhaps, a little of both (noisy and quiet) is ideal and forces you to practice focusing in both situations. The nature of the work is also a big factor.

Personally, sometimes I find it harder to concentrate in total silence, but other times I look for quiet places to relax and read.

neoterics3• 12 years ago

Right, but even if the percentage of such a person is 50%, then you are only catering to half the crowd.

I realize giving an office to everyone is not the best (or the most realistic) solution, but I think a compromise can be found, some parts of our office have these large cubes where 2 to 4 people can sit, this keeps you together with your team and makes for easy interaction/collaboration, but at the same time the high walls surrounding you keep the background auditory and visual distractions to a minimum, this way there is something for both the groups of people.

cmelbye• 12 years ago

It's cheaper, it makes informal collaboration easier, it fosters better energy in the office.

Any office layout is going to have tradeoffs. It seems like the problems you have with open space offices could be solved with a pair of noise-canceling headphones?

neoterics3• 12 years ago

Those are the buzz words they use - "collaboration", "energy" etc. but to be honest has there ever been a study done to show if that is indeed the case? Also, I see no reason why those can't be achieved with high walled cube sections.

Our whole floor is open, we have different departments, and even then I mainly see only a single group talking/collaborating, it's not like suddenly the lawyers are more social and are breaking their cliques and interacting with the marketing teams.

With the last sentence, I am going to assume you are more outgoing and extroverted, because a noise-cancelling headphone will not do much to reduce the external stimuli that I'm receiving from my other senses.

I guess there is a certain level of coziness, safety associated when the world is not able to look at me and vice-versa and it may be hard to explain, but it is vital for me to focus 100%, and I'm sure a lot of people towards the introversion end of the spectrum feel that way.

This Is Your Brain on Silence

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