# Exploring the Enigmatic Nature of Silence in the Mind
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Chapter 1: The Intriguing Concept of Silence
Isn't it fascinating that you can grasp what I'm referring to in the title, while the very essence of silence is defined by the absence of sound?
Photo by Ernie A. Stephens on Unsplash
I can’t recall what I was reading or my age when I first encountered the notion that silence could "ring" in someone's ears, but that idea has lingered in my mind. It was perhaps the initial moment I linked silence with a form of sound, contrasting my earlier belief that silence equates to no sound whatsoever. After reading that, I remember trying to find silence, hoping to hear this "ring," but discovering that true silence is elusive, especially growing up in a bustling family of six in a vibrant city.
It seems I'm not alone in my curiosity about silence. Neuroscientists are equally intrigued, raising questions about the brain's processing of silence and the methods to study it—an endeavor fraught with difficulties. Nevertheless, experts focus on two main inquiries: Do our brains "hear" silence similar to how we perceive the chirping of birds? Or is silence merely a placeholder that the brain uses between sounds, which we interpret as silence?
Both inquiries revolve around one central concept—perception. This became the primary focus of the researchers.
Section 1.1: The Puzzle of Perception
Silence presents a conundrum in many respects, with one particular mystery perplexing psychologists and philosophers for ages: how our sensory perception operates. At first glance, our basic senses—sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell—appear straightforward. We see light reflecting off objects, feel when something touches us, and hear sounds made by nearby sources.
However, as often is the case, the reality is more intricate than it seems. Chaz Firestone, co-author of an enlightening paper and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, elucidates:
“Silence, in its essence, is not a sound. It represents the absence of sound. Yet, it often seems as though we can hear it. If silence isn't a sound, but we perceive it, then the act of hearing must extend beyond mere sound.”
This notion feels almost like a riddle fit for Alice in Wonderland. While it may seem trivial, it certainly twists the mind. It calls to mind the concept of temperature—where cold is not a tangible entity but rather the absence of heat. This, too, is an oversimplification, yet it holds relevance. If cold is merely the lack of heat, perhaps silence is similarly the absence of sound that we still somehow perceive.
Subsection 1.1.1: Investigating Silence
Firestone and his colleagues aimed to examine whether our brains perceive silence in the same manner as they do sounds. They carried out their investigation using modified versions of established auditory illusions, commonly employed in experimental psychology. Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS) in July 2023.
To explore the brain's response to silence, the researchers devised three silence illusions, engaging 1,000 participants in seven distinct silent experiments (which you can try out for yourself through the provided link).
One notable illusion, dubbed “One is More,” features two brief tones succeeded by a single, longer tone. Participants frequently report that the longer tone seems to outlast the two shorter ones combined, despite them actually being equal in duration. This phenomenon is due to a perceptual process known as “event segmentation,” where the mind separates continuous stimuli into distinct “events.”
By classifying each sound as a separate event, it becomes more challenging for the brain to integrate the two sounds and compare them to the longer one, leading to the illusion that the extended sound is longer.
In a twist on this well-known illusion, the researchers exposed participants to the sounds of a bustling train station or restaurant, followed by two silent intervals interspersed with brief background noise, culminating in a longer silence.
Section 1.2: The Findings
Ultimately, the researchers discovered that their adaptations of these auditory illusions were as compelling as the originals. For the “One is More” illusion, participants indicated that the extended silence felt longer than the two shorter silences separated by noise. My own experience echoed that of many participants, as I too perceived the final silence as longer.
The participants' brains reacted to the silence in a manner akin to how they responded to sound illusions. Rui Zhe Goh, the lead author and a Ph.D. candidate at Johns Hopkins, noted that the study's results “imply that our minds construct similar auditory representations that could underlie our experience of silence.”
While research in this area is still emerging, this study indicates that silence transcends being merely the absence of sound; it is something we actively perceive—just as we do with noise.
Chapter 2: A Shift in Perspective
For reasons I cannot pinpoint, the idea that silence possesses sound has lingered with me since I first encountered that notion. The first time I truly "heard" silence was a delightful moment, though I can’t recall where I was or how much time had passed since I read that phrase. Nevertheless, I remember how enchanting it felt to perceive silence, and I've sought it ever since.
While the discussed research did not focus on any ringing associated with silence, it inspires contemplation that silence is indeed an enigma. Despite being easily overlooked, we maintain a poetic, even intimate relationship with silence.
We often seek out silence when feeling overwhelmed. At times, we flee from it, fearing the thoughts that might emerge to fill the void of sound. Silence can rejuvenate us or plunge us into a seemingly endless abyss. Reflect on the 1965 classic, "The Sound of Silence," penned by Paul Simon and performed by Simon and Garfunkel. When introducing the song during a live performance, Garfunkel encapsulated its essence as:
"[T]he inability of people to communicate with each other, not particularly intentionally but especially emotionally, so what you see around you are people unable to love each other."
This hauntingly beautiful piece encapsulates the profound themes of isolation and the desire for connection.
The official audio of the song further emphasizes these themes, allowing for reflection on the significance of silence in our lives.
This article was originally featured in the author’s free newsletter, Curious Adventure, and has been edited and republished on Medium with the author's permission. Thank you for taking the time to read; your interest is greatly appreciated.