Perhaps it is waking up in the early morning and gazing at a sunrise, finding silence in the break of a day. Or walking through a forest, with only the sound of your footsteps treading on the earth, and the silence in a pause between a bird’s song and a collective symphony. Or you sense it before sleep comes when the body lets go of the day and lies in stillness.

Every day sounds are drowning out silence and making it harder to attain. We are becoming used to and for some, even finding comfort in the ambient sounds of phones pinging and electrical appliances buzzing. Apps like Alexa are at hand to keep us company and keep the quiet at bay.

Silence and the need for it may be up for debate. For seekers of silence, you may already be aware that it is harder to find, whilst others may not have noticed the lack of it or that manmade sounds are creeping into every moment of our day. Because we cannot see or touch it, we may not necessarily miss it. And yet the World Health Organization says, "Our world is too noisy and that this is harming our health". Noise pollution is described as a “modern plague” and our internal and external environments are becoming louder and louder. The WHO report dates back to 2011 but if we go back further, to 1905, the Nobel Prize-winning bacteriologist, Robert Koch predicted, “The day will come when man will have to fight noise as inexorably as cholera and the plague.” Back a bit further and Florence Nightingale was voicing her concerns about the dangers of noise pollution and the need for silence for aiding the healing process.

According to acoustic ecologist and attentive listener Gordon Hempton, "Silence is an endangered species on the verge of extinction. He defines real quiet as presence — not an absence of sound but an absence of noise".

Natural sounds

So should we let silence slip away and let noise take over? Natural sounds can soothe a weary mind, a gentle breeze through the leaves in a tree, or a river flowing, and the quiet hum of a bee, calming the parasympathetic nervous system. When we tune in and listen the body relaxes, we become present, it’s a natural silence and it gives the body a chance to rest and reset. Silence according to the ‘attention restoration theory’, is a way for the brain to restore cognitive function. When we are constantly surrounded by manmade sounds (or noise) like car engines, planes overhead, sounds of tools drilling, and phone alerts, the human response over time is stress. This can affect concentration, and sleep and even raise blood pressure. Yet if we can quieten the noise and lower levels of sensory input the brain can restore its finite cognitive resources.

In silence, we also tap into the brain’s default mode network which is activated when we engage in “self-generated cognition,” this means daydreaming, meditating, fantasizing about the future or simply letting the mind wander. Engaging in this network helps us not only relax but also understand our experiences better, be more creative and reflect upon our own mental and emotional states.

Sedatephobia

If the world becomes noisier and the demands of modern life put further strain on our brains then why resist being in silence. Perhaps we equate it negatively with solitude or loneliness, rather than for its benefits. Sedatephobia, is the fear of silence, a feeling of unease in quiet places or situations. This could stem from childhood growing up with the constant sounds of television, music in headphones the internet filling a space and distracting thoughts. Even with the rise in hearing impairment in the young, noise it appears is preferable, comforting. A state of noise is becoming the norm and silence is become something unfamiliar and ironically disquieting.

If silence is on the verge of extinction then one of the last few places left in the world that is truly silent is in the Hoh Rain Forest of Olympic National Park, State of Washington. One Square Inch of Silence is a research and preservation project, a section of forest chosen for its diversity, eco-system and pure unpolluted landscape, undisturbed by tourism and overhead aircraft or road traffic. Projects like this are exploring ways to conserve natural habitats for future generations and encourage people to engage in nature and the peace that comes with it. Here we learn about how noise impacts the natural world, how wildlife becomes stressed and breeding habits are affected. The project encourages the preservation of silence in natural settings not only for the sake of the environment but for humans.

Hempton believes, “if silence is the presence of time undisturbed. It can be felt in the chest. It nurtures our nature. We can help people to become true listeners of their environment, and help them protect one of the most important and endangered resources on the planet”.

Silence might be good for our health, but in an ever increasing noisy world we may need to consider a future without it. Being mindful and aware of the environment and how we connect with it allows us more head space to find inner and outer peace. So let’s view silence as a good thing and protect it. Let silence wrap around you, whilst savouring all its quiet pleasures.

Author

Suzanne Radford is a certified forest therapy practitioner and forest bathing guide based in the Serra De Monchique, helping individuals, couples and groups connect to nature through guided walks, workshops for wellbeing, and nature coaching.

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Suzanne Radford