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Why Silence Is So Good For Your Brain
Silence and our mental resources
The constant attentional demands of modern life put a significant burden on the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is involved in high-order thinking, decision-making and problem-solving.
When we can finally get away from these sonic disruptions, our brains’ attention centers have the opportunity to restore themselves.
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Seeking silence
Silence relieves tension
Noise pollution may lead to high blood pressure and heart attacks, as well as impairing hearing and overall health. Loud noises raise stress levels by activating the brain’s amygdala and causing the release of the stress hormone cortisol, according to research.
Silence has the opposite effect, releasing tension in the brain and body.
Silence and our mental resources
The constant attentional demands of modern life put a significant burden on the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is involved in high-order thinking, decision-making and problem-solving.
When we can finally get away from these sonic disruptions, our brains’ attention centers have the opportunity to restore themselves.
The brain’s default mode network
Engaging this network helps us to make meaning out of our experiences, empathize with others, be more creative and reflect on our own mental and emotional states.
In order to do this, it’s necessary to break away from the distractions.
Regenerating brain cells
Silence can quite literally grow the brain.
Research found that two hours of silence daily led to the development of new cells in the hippocampus, a key brain region associated with learning, memory and emotion.
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Noise Pollution
Many studies link noise pollution to:
- High blood pressure
- Sleep loss
- Heart disease
Just as noise pollution is bad for you, silence can actually benefit you...
New Brain Cells
Giving us another reason to meditate, a study proves that a silent environment helps create new brain cells.
Activation of Memory
Silence helps activate our brain to work better and jog its memory banks efficiently.
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2 types of everyday "bad noise"
- Excessive noise: the prolonged loud noise.
- The distraction of general noise around us: conversations or interruptions from colleagues in the workplace.
Noise is bad for health
It increases blood pressure, increases stress, disturbs our sleep.
And more importantly, it is linked to our bad mental health. It's why we don't have schools in the vicinity of airports anymore.
"In most workplaces, focused work is left to chance.If nobody's called you for a meeting that day, you might get an afternoon to yourself."
- Ollie Campbell, CEO of Milanote
"In most workplaces, focused work is left to chance.If nobody's called you for a meeting that day, you might get an afternoon to yourself."
- Ollie Campbell, CEO of Milanote
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Rising Noise Around Us
- Cities have a noise pollution problem, which is largely unaddressed.
- Noise complaints regarding the high decibel levels of traffic, airplanes, and even helicopters are getting more fre...
Effect Of Noise on Children
- According to the United Nations, about two-thirds of the world's population will be living in cities by the next 30 years.
- The World Health Organization recommends classrooms to be not louder than 35 decibels, which is never the case in big cities.
- Children are facing disruption in their learning, and research points out that those who study in a noisy place are 11 months behind the ones who are studying in quieter places in the same vicinity.
Living In Noise
Most of the city planning is done so that the affluent neighborhoods are in quieter areas.
However, this is also nullified when the ultra-rich who travel frequently stay close to the transit hubs (like Airports), being exposed to high decibels of noise.
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Small talk
Not everyone enjoys small talk. It is not that they are not comfortable talking, but one-on-one, small talk remains an issue.
Small talk precedes big talk in the normal course of human af...
Small talk has meaning
Anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski noted in 1923 that a great deal of talk "does not serve any purpose of communicating ideas" but "to establish bonds of personal union." He also said that small talk was merely a way to fill the silence.
He was wrong. Small talk is not just for those seeking companionship. It enacts and reinforces social roles in a whole range of social, commercial, and professional settings.
Speech operates on two levels
- Speech communicates information or ideas. It is the semantic content of speech.
- On another level, talking is a social behavior. Every speech does something. It reassures, acknowledges, nurtures, enjoins, rejects, dominates, encourages, or just fill an awkward silence.
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The blue mind
A "blue mind" is a mildly meditative state characterized by calm, peacefulness, unity, and a sense of general happiness and satisfaction with life in the moment, that's triggered when w...
Water gives our brains a rest
- The sound around us, from an auditory perspective, is simplified. It's not quiet, but the sound of water is far more simple than the sound of voices or the sound of music or the sound of a city.
- The visual input is simplified. When you stand at the edge of the water and look out on the horizon, it's visually simplified relative to a city you're walking through, where you're taking in millions of pieces of information every second.
A meditative state
The water could be inducing a mildly meditative state of calm focus and gentle awareness.
When we're by the water, our brains are held in a state of mild attentiveness. In this state, the brain is interested and engaged in the water, taking in sensory input but not distracted by an overload of it.
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Exercise Benefits The Brain
Any kind of exercise, be it aerobic, walking or Yoga, changes the brain's composition, structure and the way it operates. The changes that happen to the brain:
- Brain wa...
Brain Waves increasing
The brain's electric impulses change, and the Beta waves increase during and after exercise, putting it in a better, more alert state.
More Sensitive To The World
Exercise makes our senses sharper and clearer, and we are more perceptive and have better sensitivity to our surroundings.
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Detecting Loneliness
- Scientific literature has linked loneliness to depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and drug abuse.
- Loneliness makes you more likely to fall ill by suppressing healthy immune function....
Loneliness is subjective
It's possible to be completely isolated and feel invigorated.
It is also possible to be surrounded by a crowd or be accompanied by close friends and feel lonely.
Research on loneliness findings
- Research showed that after social isolation, subjects' brain scans showed more activity in the midbrain when shown pictures of social cues.
- When subjects were hungry but had not been socially isolated, they showed a similar reaction to food cues, but not social ones. This shows that the drive for social contact and for things like food seems to be represented in a similar way.
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Control your breath to better control your anger
When you feel anger, try controlling your breath. This will result in your entire body instantly calming down. Remember, anger can never prove productive.
Magical phrases to fight your anger
Whenever you feel angry, try repeating certain phrases that you know for a fact that will calm you down. If you do not have them already prepared, take a few minutes during a normal day to think about what these phrases could sound like.
Fancy a happy place to keep your anger under control
Fancying a happy and calm place whenever you are angry helps you deal better with the negative feeling. Furthermore, focusing on both your breathing and your environment has a positive effect on your mood and allows you to relax.
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Music for better productivity and focus
- Classical music: Songs with no lyrics are often considered the finest form of the craft, always a popular choice.
- Electronic music is repetitive, ...
Familiar songs are best for focus
It’s best to listen to music you are familiar with if you need intense focus for a project.
New music is surprising; since you don’t know what to expect, you are inclined to listen closely to see what comes next.
Lyrics can be distracting
For activities that don’t require concentration, music with lyrics has some benefits. But with immersive tasks, lyrics are especially destructive to our focus.
Trying to engage in language-related tasks ( e.g. writing ) while listening to lyrics would be akin to holding a conversation while another person talks over you… while also strumming a guitar.
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Busyness and Creativity
Being busy all the time dials down your creativity. Being distracted doing the scheduled work in your calendar doesn't give your brain time to do any creative thinking and in turn any re...
Information Overload
We consume up to five times more information than we used to a generation before. This constant information overload drains us of our creativity and even willpower.
An avalanche of information keeps our brain mired and trapped in noise.
Addicted to Busyness
Kickstarting our creative process requires solitude, space, time and a distraction-free environment.
Our brain then gets accustomed to constant stimulation, and we become addicted to busyness.
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