Hearing silence: take the test

A question of perception

A study carried out by a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University reveals that our brains treat silences as auditory events, similar to the sounds themselves. To understand this phenomenon, the researchers carried out a series of experiments in which they asked participants to evaluate the duration of silences inserted into a sequence of noises.

Click and test:

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Result: their estimation of the duration of silences was just as accurate as that of the duration of sounds. Conclusion: silence is not an absence of sensation for our brain, but a sound event interpreted as such. This could mean that our brains are always alert, even in the absence of acoustic stimuli.

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Silence and sound: similar processing by the brain

This study reveals that our brains don't make a clear distinction between noise and silence. Experiments show that when we make a sudden transition from a noisy to a quiet environment, our brains process it as a form of sound, even if no acoustic vibrations reach our ears.

Silence can therefore be "heard": our brain treats it as a perceptible experience. This is because of the way our auditory system and brain process sensory information. In our daily lives, our brains are accustomed to identifying and analyzing sound variations in our complex environment. Silence, which marks a change from ambient noise, is thus treated as a sound phenomenon, despite its apparent "absence" of content.

This treatment of silence shows that, far from being a simple pause in neuronal activity, the absence of sound activates our perception of the world and literally provokes a sensory experience.

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The acoustic implications of this discovery

Silence is often sought after for its relaxing effect. Yet this study prompts us to reconsider the idea that silence is a soothing void of sound. If our brains process silence as a form of sensory information, it could be that, in a silent space, our brains are called upon to process these sound absences. This could explain why some people find very quiet environments TOO quiet, unfit for concentration, uncomfortable, even stressful: the brain, constantly in search of stimulation, reacts to silence with heightened attention.

So, as this other study points out, a light ambient sound such as "thehushed hubbub of a Starbucks" may be more conducive to creativity than a deep, anxiety-inducing silence.

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Silence, an essential part of our sound experience

Silence, far from being a meaningless void, is therefore an active component of our sound experience. We understand silence not simply as an absence, but as a perceptible change in our acoustic environment. This idea redefines the way we conceive of sound environments and the spaces in which we evolve.

Silence, as a sensory event, underlines the complexity of our auditory perception and opens the way to new research into how the brain interprets the world around us. It also shows that sound and silence are not binary opposites, but rather complementary elements of the same sensory reality.

By better understanding what it means to "hear silence", we can sharpen our auditory sensitivity and enrich our experience of the world of sound. These insights are invaluable to acoustic design offices and sound identity agencies seeking to develop unique sound experiences for brands. Silence, carefully integrated into a company's sound signature, can become a powerful tool in sound marketing and sound branding, contributing to the creation of a memorable and distinctive sound identity.

Simon and Garfunkel were right: silence does have a sound. And thanks to Ircam amplify, you'll be able to exploit it to the full to enhance your brand's sound design and create unforgettable sound experiences that will resonate with your customers for years to come.

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"Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again..."

These emblematic words from Simon and Garfunkel's song The Sound of Silence resonate with each and every one of us. Silence, often perceived as the absence of noise, is much more than just a void. Recent research by neuroscientists is turning this traditional perception on its head, inviting us to explore silence not as an absence, but as a genuine sound phenomenon. In the field of sound design and brandidentity, this new understanding of silence could open up exciting new perspectives. Acoustic designers, working on the creation of optimized sound environments, need to rethink the use of silence as a key element in thesound experience and in the construction of a sound signature.

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