The Downside of Silence

"I first became interested in silence over 15 years ago when an overdose of New York City noise got me wondering if and how I could find refuge in its opposite, in absolute quiet-something that was not merely a reduction in or lack of noise, but a vibrant counterpoint to the sounds which we assume define and shape our lives."

"In contrast, locating and living in a relative quiet seemed to offer only upside: benefits such as better cardiac health as well as personal calm, a reduction in angst; a deeper understanding of the fact that silence and other voids, like the space between notes, are just as important in shaping our words and images as are noisy assertions of busy-ness and action."

An exploration of silence began as a response to excessive urban noise and revealed serious noise-related health threats, including stress-related cardiac problems and pervasive anxiety. Relative quiet provides measurable benefits: improved cardiac health, personal calm, reduced angst, and enhanced perception of meaning through silence and voids. Public demand and commercial solutions for quiet have expanded, from sensory-deprivation tanks to booming acoustic-insulation and active-noise-canceling industries. Two forms of silence can be harmful: selective mutism rooted in trauma undermines individual wellbeing, and politically enforced silence enables authoritarianism by stifling dissent and accountability.

Read at Psychology Today