Pause for a moment and pay attention to the sounds you can hear around you right now. What do you notice?
As I type this, I can hear cars faintly passing by, a crow cawing outside my window, and the loud hum of a leaf blower. This morning, I was annoyingly awakened by the chirping of a smoke detector.
When you really take a moment to listen, it becomes clear that genuine quiet moments are quite scarce.
Even when you do manage to find those rare instances of silence, it can be challenging to decide how to occupy your time.
Should I merely sit idle and listen to my own thoughts? That sounds a bit torturous.
Although moments of silence might feel uncomfortable at first, the constant noise around us can be even more troubling. Ongoing external sounds can interfere with our health, concentration, and even our ability to truly listen.
Studies indicate that silence can benefit our brains; taking time to be quiet can enhance our memory and help us comprehend ourselves and our environment better.
But how do we make room for silence in our lives when it seems nearly impossible to escape the clamor of modern life?
Continue reading to discover how noise might be impacting your well-being and learn ways to integrate silent moments into your daily life (even if the idea of quiet makes you uneasy).
P.S. While you read, consider listening to this birdsong video — the sound of birds is believed to provide a calming effect.
The Disruption of Noise in Our Lives
Are external noises truly the worst thing ever? What if you enjoy having the television on for background noise?
Controlled noise is one thing, but sounds that you cannot control pose a different issue entirely.
Noise pollution is defined as “any unwanted or disturbing sound that adversely impacts the health and well-being of humans and other living beings.”
Here are some ways noise pollution might be disrupting your life:
Noise Disrupts Our Concentration
One of the most apparent problems related to noise pollution is its impact on our ability to concentrate.
A study found that being exposed to nearby conversations in an office could decrease productivity by 66%.
I previously worked in an open office layout, and completing tasks felt like an ongoing battle. The constant background chatter and the potential for interruptions made it hard to focus.
To work effectively, we often need to be in a state of flow, as described in Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book. This state is where you are so engrossed in your tasks that external distractions fade away.
Considering that it may take about 23 minutes to regain focus after an interruption, these distractions can hinder your ability to achieve that flow and make progress on your tasks.
Noise Can Lead to Health Issues
Of course, it’s not all about productivity; excessive noise can also affect your health.
Research has shown that noise pollution is associated with stress, sleep issues, hypertension, and even heart disease.
And this doesn’t just refer to exceptionally loud sounds; even noise that doesn’t cause hearing damage can be detrimental to your health.
One study revealed that children living under the flight path of an airport in Germany “experienced modest but significant increases in blood pressure and stress hormones,” whereas children in quieter environments did not show these changes.
This raises the question of how the sounds from our everyday devices might be influencing our health unknowingly.
With sounds constantly emanating from our phones and computers, certain notifications—like those from Teams or Slack—probably cause an instant spike in stress.
And with the rise of short-form videos, what effects are those accompanying noises having on our brains?
The Value of Embracing Silence
Aside from enhancing our focus and maintaining our health, what other benefits does silence offer? Here’s why it’s important to embrace the unease of quiet:
Silence Enhances Cognitive Abilities
Silence might seem incredibly dull. It can feel as though there’s little advantage to being quiet since it doesn’t entertain us, inspire new ideas, or impart knowledge.
After all, if you’re not filling your mind with noise (i.e., information), you might feel like you’re not learning anything.
However, integrating silence into your day can actually benefit your memory, which is crucial for truly absorbing that knowledge.
Research conducted on the brains of mice revealed that two hours of silence each day stimulated cell development in the hippocampus.
Essentially, the absence of external input had a positive influence on the memory development of the mice.
Maybe instead of constantly flooding our minds with information, we could learn more effectively through some good old-fashioned quiet time.
Silence Fosters Self-Connection
Many of us are familiar with scrolling our phones to avoid confronting our inner emotions. When faced with challenges, it’s common to seek external distractions to numb our pain.
Yet, turning to our phones only exposes us to more noise through notifications, videos, and advertisements.
If we keep distracting ourselves, we won’t find the ability to sit with our feelings.
Without facing our emotions, we cannot fully process them and let go of their hold over us.
As uncomfortable as it might be, silence allows us to connect with ourselves as we learn to heed what our thoughts and feelings are communicating.
“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.”
―Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
3 Strategies to Introduce Silence into Your Routine
Now that you understand the advantages of silence, here’s
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Here are some tips for incorporating silence into your daily routine:
1. Locate a peaceful spot
Finding true silence can be challenging, regardless of your location. Complete silence is rare (unless you’re in that famous silent room that’s said to make people lose their minds).
As per Urban Quiet Park’s guidelines, ideal background noise should not exceed 45 decibels—which is similar to the noise level in a library.
A great way to start is by immersing yourself in nature. Time spent surrounded by the sounds of nature is very beneficial. If you’re unsure where to go to find tranquility, Quiet Parks International offers a map of serene spots globally.
You can also create a peaceful atmosphere at home. Dedicate a moment when you can truly enjoy at least thirty minutes of silence. This might involve notifying those around you that you need quiet time, silencing your phone notifications, and/or using noise-canceling headphones.
2. Eliminate distractions
If achieving silence is impractical due to noise from others or your environment, consider masking unwanted sounds with beneficial artificial sounds like background music, white noise, or soothing ambient sounds. While these won’t provide actual silence, they can help create an auditory backdrop that minimizes disruptive noises.
You might think that background noise contradicts the idea of silence. Isn’t all sound the same? Actually, research suggests that changing noise levels can disrupt cognitive processes more than constant noise does. Steady sounds can help lessen distractions and maintain your focus.
Sounds that resemble nature are particularly effective. For example, listening to rain or birds singing can be very soothing. You might also consider white, brown, or pink noise.
Note: If you use YouTube to listen to these calming sounds, installing an ad blocker in your browser can enhance your experience by reducing interruptions from ads, which can be extremely disruptive.
3. Welcome silence (this is the toughest part)
To truly welcome silence in your life, you must be receptive to stillness and quietude. Personally, I find it challenging to embrace silence; I often have music, podcasts, or other sounds playing in the background while I engage in tasks.
This might be because I sometimes prefer not to confront my thoughts for too long. However, as previously mentioned, distracting ourselves from our own reflections only distances us from our emotions.
At a minimum, be open to the concept of silence and its potential advantages in your life. Recognize that while silence may feel uncomfortable, it’s worth pursuing.
When the opportunity for silence arises in your day, take a moment to appreciate it. These instances can be rare.