1 00:00:15,436 --> 00:00:29,876 Speaker 1: Pushkin. We do just about everything we can to make 2 00:00:29,916 --> 00:00:33,236 Speaker 1: things pleasing for our senses. When we're relaxing at home, 3 00:00:33,396 --> 00:00:36,156 Speaker 1: we might put on some comfy pajamas and cozy up 4 00:00:36,236 --> 00:00:39,196 Speaker 1: under a warm blanket. We paint our homes and colors 5 00:00:39,196 --> 00:00:41,756 Speaker 1: we love and put our favorite pictures up on the wall. 6 00:00:42,156 --> 00:00:44,276 Speaker 1: We go out to restaurants with our friends or cook 7 00:00:44,316 --> 00:00:47,236 Speaker 1: amazing meals at home. We might even wear a perfume 8 00:00:47,356 --> 00:00:50,276 Speaker 1: or cologne so that a pleasant smell follows us wherever 9 00:00:50,276 --> 00:00:54,036 Speaker 1: we go. But while we curate for taste, touch, smell, 10 00:00:54,116 --> 00:00:56,956 Speaker 1: and vision, we often forget to do the same thing 11 00:00:57,076 --> 00:01:00,956 Speaker 1: for the sounds we hear. Yeah, we might dance around 12 00:01:00,996 --> 00:01:04,596 Speaker 1: to our favorite songs, but sound goes far beyond just music. 13 00:01:05,356 --> 00:01:07,916 Speaker 1: In fact, we can get rid of sounds that annoy us, 14 00:01:15,596 --> 00:01:18,276 Speaker 1: and we can surround ourselves with sounds that make us 15 00:01:18,276 --> 00:01:34,156 Speaker 1: feel good. And this is super important because studies show 16 00:01:34,196 --> 00:01:36,596 Speaker 1: that sound has a huge impact on our health and 17 00:01:36,716 --> 00:01:39,436 Speaker 1: our happiness. It's a topic I wanted to explore on 18 00:01:39,476 --> 00:01:42,116 Speaker 1: the Happiness Lab for a long time, and now I 19 00:01:42,236 --> 00:01:45,436 Speaker 1: found the perfect person to help me out. I'm Dallas Taylor. 20 00:01:46,036 --> 00:01:49,156 Speaker 1: Dallas is the host of twenty thousand Herds, a podcast 21 00:01:49,196 --> 00:01:52,196 Speaker 1: that explores the stories behind the world's most recognizable and 22 00:01:52,276 --> 00:01:55,916 Speaker 1: interesting sounds. Over the years, we've done tons of episodes 23 00:01:55,956 --> 00:01:59,316 Speaker 1: about sound and how it relates to happiness. We've talked 24 00:01:59,316 --> 00:02:03,436 Speaker 1: about the benefits of asmr everything that's going to be 25 00:02:03,516 --> 00:02:12,876 Speaker 1: all right, as well as getting rid of noise and 26 00:02:13,276 --> 00:02:23,956 Speaker 1: the power of sonic tourism. I've always wanted to collect 27 00:02:24,036 --> 00:02:27,476 Speaker 1: these pieces together into kind of a handbook for Sonic Happiness, 28 00:02:27,836 --> 00:02:29,836 Speaker 1: a practical guide that can tell us how to make 29 00:02:29,876 --> 00:02:32,436 Speaker 1: our world sound better so that we can feel better. 30 00:02:33,196 --> 00:02:40,316 Speaker 1: So let's get started. You're listening to the Handbook for 31 00:02:40,436 --> 00:02:49,916 Speaker 1: Sonic Happiness. Chapter one, Music, So let's talk about the 32 00:02:49,956 --> 00:02:53,076 Speaker 1: positive sounds and things that we should pay attention to 33 00:02:53,076 --> 00:02:55,196 Speaker 1: and try to get more of. The first thing my 34 00:02:55,276 --> 00:02:58,316 Speaker 1: brain goes to when I think about good sounds is music. 35 00:02:58,996 --> 00:03:01,396 Speaker 1: So I think a lot about music is almost just 36 00:03:01,436 --> 00:03:05,556 Speaker 1: like a sonic prescription. For example, when I'm cooking, like 37 00:03:05,596 --> 00:03:09,396 Speaker 1: I need jazz or like bluegrass of all things right. 38 00:03:10,396 --> 00:03:12,196 Speaker 1: I don't know why I gravitate to those, but they 39 00:03:12,436 --> 00:03:16,676 Speaker 1: really calm me down. This calming effect isn't surprising because 40 00:03:16,676 --> 00:03:19,476 Speaker 1: we hear music from the start of our lives. When 41 00:03:19,476 --> 00:03:22,236 Speaker 1: we're in the womb, the heartbeat is the first rhythm 42 00:03:22,276 --> 00:03:28,196 Speaker 1: we hear and feel. I think there's something built in 43 00:03:28,236 --> 00:03:31,236 Speaker 1: about this form of emotional regulation. For example, we know 44 00:03:31,356 --> 00:03:34,076 Speaker 1: that babies as young as five months of age can 45 00:03:34,076 --> 00:03:36,916 Speaker 1: tell the difference between a piece of music that an 46 00:03:36,956 --> 00:03:41,396 Speaker 1: adult would say is like a happy tune versus a 47 00:03:41,396 --> 00:03:43,236 Speaker 1: piece of music that an adult would say is a 48 00:03:43,276 --> 00:03:48,956 Speaker 1: sad tune. One of the ways it's worth noting that 49 00:03:49,036 --> 00:03:51,916 Speaker 1: music really affects us is that it's really deeply entwined 50 00:03:51,956 --> 00:03:54,636 Speaker 1: with our sympathetic nervous system, which is kind of our 51 00:03:54,676 --> 00:03:57,396 Speaker 1: fight or flight system. There's alerts that I can play 52 00:03:57,436 --> 00:03:59,276 Speaker 1: for you that will instantly get your fight or flight 53 00:03:59,316 --> 00:04:02,516 Speaker 1: system activated, as though I slapped you or it showed 54 00:04:02,556 --> 00:04:04,956 Speaker 1: you some really scary thing like a gun or a 55 00:04:04,996 --> 00:04:09,476 Speaker 1: snake or something like that. But then it can also 56 00:04:09,556 --> 00:04:11,716 Speaker 1: kind of rev down our system. It can make our 57 00:04:11,756 --> 00:04:21,436 Speaker 1: pulse go slower. I can do all these interesting physiological 58 00:04:21,436 --> 00:04:24,196 Speaker 1: effects on our body, and some of those are really 59 00:04:24,196 --> 00:04:29,796 Speaker 1: good for working out. There's lots of evidence, for example, 60 00:04:29,836 --> 00:04:32,596 Speaker 1: that if you're playing a super high tempo song, you 61 00:04:32,676 --> 00:04:37,356 Speaker 1: actually experience less physical exertion when you're exercising, so it's 62 00:04:37,436 --> 00:04:40,276 Speaker 1: kind of like a legal drug, like a performance enhancing drug, 63 00:04:40,556 --> 00:04:42,356 Speaker 1: to kind of make you not feel the effects of 64 00:04:42,356 --> 00:04:49,276 Speaker 1: your own physical exertion. I'm curious, what music do you 65 00:04:49,316 --> 00:04:53,556 Speaker 1: listen to do that prescriptive mood thing with music. For me, 66 00:04:53,596 --> 00:04:56,956 Speaker 1: it's partly the tempo, it's partly what the music is 67 00:04:56,996 --> 00:04:59,636 Speaker 1: doing to me physiologically. I think sometimes when I'm cooking, 68 00:04:59,676 --> 00:05:01,596 Speaker 1: I just want something upbeat to put me in a 69 00:05:01,636 --> 00:05:04,076 Speaker 1: good mood. But for me, it's also music that really 70 00:05:04,076 --> 00:05:06,876 Speaker 1: connects to memories. You know. So I'm going to be 71 00:05:06,956 --> 00:05:14,316 Speaker 1: listening to bad eighties pop mus music, which you know, 72 00:05:14,356 --> 00:05:16,036 Speaker 1: puts me in a good mood because it reminds me 73 00:05:16,116 --> 00:05:18,836 Speaker 1: of friends back in the day, or like bad nineties 74 00:05:18,916 --> 00:05:26,836 Speaker 1: boy bands. And it's not just listening to music that 75 00:05:26,876 --> 00:05:29,916 Speaker 1: can affect our mood. Playing music in a group actually 76 00:05:29,956 --> 00:05:37,996 Speaker 1: makes us feel more connected. One very compelling experience is 77 00:05:38,036 --> 00:05:42,796 Speaker 1: the feeling of groupiness, right of social cohesion. That's David Popel, 78 00:05:43,076 --> 00:05:47,196 Speaker 1: professor of auditory psychology at New York University. The first 79 00:05:47,236 --> 00:05:50,636 Speaker 1: thing is you're a group, and the second thing is 80 00:05:50,636 --> 00:05:54,236 Speaker 1: you're trying to actually synchronize. One of the very interesting 81 00:05:54,276 --> 00:05:57,316 Speaker 1: new areas is to try to figure out how not 82 00:05:57,356 --> 00:06:01,396 Speaker 1: just pairs, of the entire groups actually become synchronized. I mean, 83 00:06:01,396 --> 00:06:03,836 Speaker 1: that's why, for instance, an orchestra can work right or acquired. 84 00:06:04,396 --> 00:06:07,076 Speaker 1: When people are musically in sync with one another, their 85 00:06:07,116 --> 00:06:10,076 Speaker 1: brain activity starts to sync up as well. If I 86 00:06:10,116 --> 00:06:15,116 Speaker 1: have a group of people chanting and I wire them 87 00:06:15,116 --> 00:06:19,116 Speaker 1: all up with EEG recording equipment, you can show that 88 00:06:19,156 --> 00:06:22,756 Speaker 1: actually the extent to which they're really synchronized with each 89 00:06:22,756 --> 00:06:27,516 Speaker 1: other is reflected in their neurophysiological activity very directly. So 90 00:06:27,676 --> 00:06:30,316 Speaker 1: there is something that is you know, a universal feature 91 00:06:30,396 --> 00:06:33,276 Speaker 1: is if you're doing something in a group, it increases 92 00:06:33,276 --> 00:06:37,996 Speaker 1: your physiological activity or your synchronization between people. And the 93 00:06:38,076 --> 00:06:41,956 Speaker 1: more synchronized you are, the better you feel. That in turn, 94 00:06:42,076 --> 00:06:45,396 Speaker 1: actually correlates with the extent to which you like the 95 00:06:45,476 --> 00:06:49,796 Speaker 1: experience or find it engaging. This experience of groupiness doesn't 96 00:06:49,796 --> 00:06:52,876 Speaker 1: just make people happier, It can also make them kinder 97 00:06:52,876 --> 00:06:56,276 Speaker 1: to one another. It correlates with all kinds of interesting things, 98 00:06:56,276 --> 00:06:59,396 Speaker 1: like the extent to which you find each other empathic, 99 00:06:59,436 --> 00:07:13,956 Speaker 1: and so on and so forth. Chapter two ASMR. Please 100 00:07:14,036 --> 00:07:18,276 Speaker 1: note the following two chapters on ASMR and misophonia contain 101 00:07:18,396 --> 00:07:21,196 Speaker 1: noises that might be triggers for people who are sensitive 102 00:07:21,196 --> 00:07:23,716 Speaker 1: to certain sounds. If you don't want to hear them, 103 00:07:23,916 --> 00:07:27,396 Speaker 1: please skip forward by about thirteen minutes to skip only 104 00:07:27,436 --> 00:07:30,556 Speaker 1: the as MR chapter. Skip forward by about four minutes. 105 00:07:35,796 --> 00:07:39,236 Speaker 1: So Dallas tell me about ASMR. So as MR stands 106 00:07:39,316 --> 00:07:43,836 Speaker 1: for autonomous sensory meridian response. And I didn't even realize 107 00:07:43,876 --> 00:07:46,116 Speaker 1: I had this until I did a show about it. 108 00:07:46,476 --> 00:07:49,356 Speaker 1: But what it is is when you listen to very 109 00:07:49,516 --> 00:07:54,596 Speaker 1: delicate sounds traditionally like somebody whispering or just like really 110 00:07:54,596 --> 00:07:59,356 Speaker 1: whispering in your ear, really nicely and sweetly. What that 111 00:07:59,556 --> 00:08:03,796 Speaker 1: can trigger internally is this tingling sensation that starts kind 112 00:08:03,796 --> 00:08:05,556 Speaker 1: of at the base of your neck and goes up 113 00:08:05,636 --> 00:08:08,676 Speaker 1: into your head and down shoulders. I am literally having 114 00:08:08,716 --> 00:08:11,836 Speaker 1: it right now, because I can trigger it at any point. 115 00:08:14,996 --> 00:08:18,596 Speaker 1: So there's all these ASMAR artists on YouTube doing everything 116 00:08:18,596 --> 00:08:22,996 Speaker 1: from like whispering very quietly, like sweet happy things. Everything 117 00:08:23,076 --> 00:08:26,156 Speaker 1: that's going to be all right to someone who might 118 00:08:26,196 --> 00:08:32,436 Speaker 1: just be manipulating an object that just crackles to in 119 00:08:32,476 --> 00:08:35,436 Speaker 1: the case of somebody that I spoke with eating pickles 120 00:08:37,116 --> 00:08:40,436 Speaker 1: into a microphone, and that triggers this kind of like 121 00:08:40,556 --> 00:08:49,716 Speaker 1: tingly response. What's interesting about ASMR is that it's a 122 00:08:49,796 --> 00:08:54,516 Speaker 1: stimulus in one modality like sound, that is producing a 123 00:08:55,116 --> 00:09:01,076 Speaker 1: tactile sensation. That's Julia Poerio, a psychology researcher studying asmar 124 00:09:01,156 --> 00:09:05,116 Speaker 1: at the University of Sheffield. So you are experiencing almost 125 00:09:05,156 --> 00:09:09,796 Speaker 1: the feeling of being touched through sound. MR feel great 126 00:09:09,796 --> 00:09:12,916 Speaker 1: for some people, but not everyone has it, and for 127 00:09:12,996 --> 00:09:16,196 Speaker 1: the people who do have it, people generally fall into 128 00:09:16,196 --> 00:09:19,436 Speaker 1: one of two categories. They either think that ASMI is 129 00:09:19,436 --> 00:09:21,756 Speaker 1: something that everybody has, or they think that they're the 130 00:09:21,796 --> 00:09:23,756 Speaker 1: only person that said it and they don't realize that 131 00:09:23,836 --> 00:09:26,876 Speaker 1: it's something that other people experience. So a lot of 132 00:09:26,876 --> 00:09:28,876 Speaker 1: people when they find out about the ASMI community and 133 00:09:28,916 --> 00:09:30,956 Speaker 1: they find out that they can watch these videos on YouTube, 134 00:09:30,956 --> 00:09:33,876 Speaker 1: they're like, Wow, this is amazing because this is something 135 00:09:33,916 --> 00:09:35,876 Speaker 1: that I've experienced all my life and that I didn't 136 00:09:35,996 --> 00:09:45,036 Speaker 1: know that I could go and intentionally experience it. One 137 00:09:45,076 --> 00:09:46,996 Speaker 1: of the things I think is really interesting about sound 138 00:09:47,116 --> 00:09:50,516 Speaker 1: is I feel like we don't really understand its effects 139 00:09:50,596 --> 00:09:53,396 Speaker 1: on our psychology very well. I mean, we could point 140 00:09:53,396 --> 00:09:56,556 Speaker 1: to specific kinds of sounds that affect us strongly, Like 141 00:09:56,596 --> 00:09:58,876 Speaker 1: if I was to blast a like siren right now 142 00:09:58,876 --> 00:10:01,116 Speaker 1: in the middle of this podcast episode, you have the 143 00:10:01,156 --> 00:10:04,316 Speaker 1: sense it could probably accurately forecast that it would make 144 00:10:04,316 --> 00:10:06,756 Speaker 1: you feel a little bit stressed. But when you're talking 145 00:10:06,796 --> 00:10:10,956 Speaker 1: about you know, like eating a pickle very quietly or whispering, 146 00:10:11,396 --> 00:10:13,236 Speaker 1: I'm not sure that's a case where I have like 147 00:10:13,396 --> 00:10:16,036 Speaker 1: strong affective predictions about how this is going to feel. 148 00:10:16,316 --> 00:10:18,996 Speaker 1: That might get the direction right, but I definitely wouldn't 149 00:10:19,036 --> 00:10:21,956 Speaker 1: have predicted before we started having this conversation, like tingly 150 00:10:22,036 --> 00:10:24,796 Speaker 1: feeling inside my head. And I think this is just 151 00:10:24,916 --> 00:10:28,276 Speaker 1: generally true of sound, where we really don't have strong 152 00:10:28,356 --> 00:10:31,036 Speaker 1: intuitions about how it's going to affect us, so that 153 00:10:31,076 --> 00:10:33,916 Speaker 1: there are these kinds of funny cases like ASMR or 154 00:10:33,996 --> 00:10:40,916 Speaker 1: you get people whispering on YouTube, Hello everyone, long time Newsy, 155 00:10:42,156 --> 00:10:44,996 Speaker 1: and it profoundly affects the listeners who are hearing it. 156 00:10:45,676 --> 00:10:49,356 Speaker 1: So is it safe to assume that you've never experienced Asmar? Yeah? No, 157 00:10:49,436 --> 00:10:51,996 Speaker 1: I definitely get chills, But for me, those kinds of 158 00:10:52,076 --> 00:10:55,156 Speaker 1: chills tend to come from different kinds of things. Not 159 00:10:55,196 --> 00:10:58,036 Speaker 1: to say I wouldn't get them from Asmar, But you know, 160 00:10:58,396 --> 00:11:11,516 Speaker 1: something like in an awe inspiring piece, or you know, 161 00:11:12,036 --> 00:11:14,636 Speaker 1: a sound or a piece of music that really reminds 162 00:11:14,676 --> 00:11:28,796 Speaker 1: me of an important memory. Right. But yeah, there's this 163 00:11:28,876 --> 00:11:32,436 Speaker 1: kind of interesting question about why sound can affect us 164 00:11:32,476 --> 00:11:35,076 Speaker 1: so profoundly. You know, something like whispering. You could imagine 165 00:11:35,116 --> 00:11:38,996 Speaker 1: it being connected with certain kinds of acoustic signals that 166 00:11:39,036 --> 00:11:42,996 Speaker 1: are very familiar with caregiving or like infant directed speech. 167 00:11:43,276 --> 00:11:49,476 Speaker 1: What do you I say, Yeah, you could imagine these 168 00:11:49,556 --> 00:11:51,596 Speaker 1: kinds of cases, you know, And so maybe we have 169 00:11:51,596 --> 00:11:54,156 Speaker 1: some leftover physiology that goes with that stuff. But I 170 00:11:54,156 --> 00:11:56,476 Speaker 1: think it's more just interesting that we can start playing 171 00:11:56,476 --> 00:11:59,676 Speaker 1: with sound in a different way now and noticing interesting 172 00:11:59,716 --> 00:12:02,116 Speaker 1: things about it that we might not have documented well before. 173 00:12:05,036 --> 00:12:08,436 Speaker 1: But the question is, can ASMR actually make us happier? 174 00:12:09,596 --> 00:12:11,956 Speaker 1: I mean, there's not really any great research on this, 175 00:12:12,116 --> 00:12:16,116 Speaker 1: but my guess is that listening to these acoustic signals 176 00:12:16,156 --> 00:12:18,436 Speaker 1: that are kind of interesting and sort of quiet can 177 00:12:18,476 --> 00:12:20,636 Speaker 1: make us a little bit more present. And there's lots 178 00:12:20,676 --> 00:12:23,116 Speaker 1: of evidence that being mindful and being present can make 179 00:12:23,156 --> 00:12:25,956 Speaker 1: us feel better and increase our positive mood. I also 180 00:12:25,996 --> 00:12:28,596 Speaker 1: think that these kinds of sounds can actually make us 181 00:12:28,636 --> 00:12:30,436 Speaker 1: a little bit calmer. I mean, a lot of these 182 00:12:30,436 --> 00:12:33,356 Speaker 1: sounds are sort of quiet. They make us listen more carefully. 183 00:12:33,396 --> 00:12:36,236 Speaker 1: I think they might actually decrease our fight or flight system. 184 00:12:36,316 --> 00:12:38,316 Speaker 1: But again, all of this is just speculation. I think 185 00:12:38,316 --> 00:12:41,036 Speaker 1: it'd be great to actually explore whether or not ASMR 186 00:12:41,116 --> 00:12:42,916 Speaker 1: sounds can make us happier. I think we just don't 187 00:12:42,916 --> 00:12:55,196 Speaker 1: know yet. The Handbook for Sonic Happiness will continue after 188 00:12:55,356 --> 00:13:09,956 Speaker 1: these messages. We now return to the Handbook for a Happiness, 189 00:13:11,076 --> 00:13:17,476 Speaker 1: Chapter three mesa. Please note the following chapter contains noises 190 00:13:17,596 --> 00:13:19,996 Speaker 1: that might be triggers for people who are sensitive to 191 00:13:20,076 --> 00:13:23,396 Speaker 1: certain sounds. If you don't want to hear them, please 192 00:13:23,476 --> 00:13:33,516 Speaker 1: get forward by about four minutes when we've gotten into 193 00:13:33,556 --> 00:13:37,516 Speaker 1: the topic of mesaphonia, which literally translates to the hatred 194 00:13:37,556 --> 00:13:40,476 Speaker 1: of sound. Most people have no idea that they have it, 195 00:13:40,836 --> 00:13:43,236 Speaker 1: and sometimes it's like tied in with like a sensory 196 00:13:43,276 --> 00:13:47,636 Speaker 1: sensitivity in general, but essentially it can give people extreme 197 00:13:47,836 --> 00:13:50,996 Speaker 1: panic reactions to certain sounds that to some people is 198 00:13:51,036 --> 00:13:53,276 Speaker 1: perfectly fine. So think of someone kind of uses their 199 00:13:53,276 --> 00:13:57,316 Speaker 1: teeth to scrape food off of a fork, or the 200 00:13:57,356 --> 00:14:01,676 Speaker 1: most classic as nails on a chalkboard. But that idea 201 00:14:01,716 --> 00:14:05,756 Speaker 1: goes much further into normal sounds that people have these 202 00:14:05,836 --> 00:14:12,476 Speaker 1: really strong reactions to. It feels like a bear is 203 00:14:12,556 --> 00:14:17,316 Speaker 1: chasing you. That's Meredith roshold you freeze whatever you're doing. 204 00:14:17,596 --> 00:14:20,916 Speaker 1: You're not able to focus on anymore. Your heart races, 205 00:14:21,196 --> 00:14:26,116 Speaker 1: you feel tense, you feel irritable, and not just mildly irritable, 206 00:14:26,196 --> 00:14:30,916 Speaker 1: like you're really irritable. Hermesphonia started when she was six, 207 00:14:31,196 --> 00:14:34,716 Speaker 1: and it caused problems at home. The hardest part was 208 00:14:34,956 --> 00:14:39,796 Speaker 1: listening to my parents chew, so at the dinner table, 209 00:14:40,476 --> 00:14:43,436 Speaker 1: I would cry and my mom would not know what 210 00:14:43,556 --> 00:14:48,236 Speaker 1: was wrong, and that would frustrate her. So at dinner 211 00:14:48,236 --> 00:14:57,676 Speaker 1: time was the hardest for most of us. Chewing just 212 00:14:57,796 --> 00:15:01,756 Speaker 1: sounds normal. We might not even notice it, but doctor 213 00:15:01,796 --> 00:15:05,756 Speaker 1: Ali Matu, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University, says that 214 00:15:05,876 --> 00:15:10,636 Speaker 1: mysophonics have a totally different experience. You're experiencing it as 215 00:15:10,676 --> 00:15:15,996 Speaker 1: if someone is chewing right in your face, to the 216 00:15:16,076 --> 00:15:18,876 Speaker 1: point where maybe there're spit or the bits of their 217 00:15:18,956 --> 00:15:24,116 Speaker 1: food are just flying all over you. So maybe it's 218 00:15:24,196 --> 00:15:28,316 Speaker 1: tapping into this basic aversion that we all have. But again, 219 00:15:28,716 --> 00:15:31,676 Speaker 1: the volume of these sounds, the experience of these sounds 220 00:15:31,676 --> 00:15:34,556 Speaker 1: are turned up way high for people who have musophonia. 221 00:15:35,436 --> 00:15:39,756 Speaker 1: Psychiatrists have only recently become aware of mesophonia. As a result, 222 00:15:39,916 --> 00:15:44,436 Speaker 1: it doesn't have a clear psychiatric definition. So the unfortunate 223 00:15:44,516 --> 00:15:49,436 Speaker 1: thing here is there is very limited research on mesophonia. 224 00:15:49,596 --> 00:15:55,076 Speaker 1: It's a part of a set of sensory experiences we're 225 00:15:55,076 --> 00:16:02,396 Speaker 1: beginning to better understand, like ASMR, like synaesthesia. We're beginning 226 00:16:02,436 --> 00:16:05,956 Speaker 1: to understand that our senses are more complicated and there's 227 00:16:05,996 --> 00:16:10,756 Speaker 1: more diversity to how we experience our senses than we 228 00:16:11,036 --> 00:16:14,836 Speaker 1: knew before, and we're still not exactly sure what causes 229 00:16:14,876 --> 00:16:24,276 Speaker 1: me sophonia. We're beginning to think that how people experience sounds, 230 00:16:24,316 --> 00:16:28,476 Speaker 1: and also how they are connected to memories and the 231 00:16:28,556 --> 00:16:31,796 Speaker 1: way people regulate their emotions is very different for people 232 00:16:31,796 --> 00:16:34,876 Speaker 1: who have mesophonia versus those who don't, So we don't 233 00:16:34,916 --> 00:16:38,516 Speaker 1: really know why that is. I have theories, but I 234 00:16:38,516 --> 00:16:41,516 Speaker 1: don't have any data to back it up. Now, it's 235 00:16:41,636 --> 00:16:44,076 Speaker 1: natural to have some reaction to the sounds you've heard 236 00:16:44,076 --> 00:16:47,076 Speaker 1: in this chapter, like the chalkboard scraping and the chewing, 237 00:16:47,556 --> 00:16:51,356 Speaker 1: and that's because these are extreme examples. But for people 238 00:16:51,396 --> 00:16:54,636 Speaker 1: like Meredith, the sounds that trigger Hermsphonia can be much 239 00:16:54,636 --> 00:16:58,676 Speaker 1: more subtle and they can come from anywhere. My triggers 240 00:16:58,676 --> 00:17:06,596 Speaker 1: are eating gum, popping, slurping feet, shuffling base coming from 241 00:17:06,636 --> 00:17:12,756 Speaker 1: cars and apartments, keep typing. Newer ones are whistling and humming. 242 00:17:14,956 --> 00:17:17,676 Speaker 1: At the moment, there is no cure for meesophonia, but 243 00:17:17,756 --> 00:17:20,716 Speaker 1: there are techniques that can help people to manage it. 244 00:17:20,716 --> 00:17:24,876 Speaker 1: It's about learning how to distract yourself from the anger 245 00:17:25,316 --> 00:17:29,716 Speaker 1: in a healthy way, So finding activities that distract you 246 00:17:30,076 --> 00:17:35,436 Speaker 1: from sounds, making a comparison to a different time when 247 00:17:35,436 --> 00:17:39,356 Speaker 1: you were coping better with a situation, or comparing yourself 248 00:17:39,396 --> 00:17:44,396 Speaker 1: to someone else who might be struggling more temporarily pushing 249 00:17:44,436 --> 00:17:48,236 Speaker 1: yourself away from the situation that is difficult for you, 250 00:17:48,476 --> 00:17:53,196 Speaker 1: and creating sensations that shock your body into focusing on 251 00:17:53,236 --> 00:18:00,676 Speaker 1: something else. Yeah, I think that like kind of opening 252 00:18:00,676 --> 00:18:03,036 Speaker 1: people's minds to become a little bit more conscious. Active 253 00:18:03,076 --> 00:18:06,996 Speaker 1: listening and associating mood with certain sounds and sonic environments 254 00:18:07,036 --> 00:18:10,636 Speaker 1: can really help people understand this mystery. I sometimes when 255 00:18:10,676 --> 00:18:13,476 Speaker 1: somebody's in a bad mood, Yeah, this was happening to 256 00:18:13,476 --> 00:18:15,316 Speaker 1: me today, which is very salient because I knew I 257 00:18:15,316 --> 00:18:16,836 Speaker 1: was going to have this conversation with you. I was 258 00:18:16,876 --> 00:18:19,916 Speaker 1: in my office at Yale, and I was just feeling 259 00:18:19,996 --> 00:18:22,396 Speaker 1: kind of frustrated, like I was trying to check my email, 260 00:18:22,476 --> 00:18:24,836 Speaker 1: and then I had this realization that there was a 261 00:18:24,876 --> 00:18:28,676 Speaker 1: horrid beeping sound happening somewhere down the hallway that had 262 00:18:28,676 --> 00:18:31,356 Speaker 1: probably been going on for like the last forty five minutes. 263 00:18:31,676 --> 00:18:33,516 Speaker 1: And I was like, wait a minute, my mood is 264 00:18:33,556 --> 00:18:37,276 Speaker 1: intricately tied to this annoying sound that's been repetitively going off, 265 00:18:37,316 --> 00:18:39,756 Speaker 1: and it's probably not just my mood. And we know 266 00:18:39,836 --> 00:18:43,476 Speaker 1: that sound can automatically affect our attention, right, you know, 267 00:18:43,516 --> 00:18:45,996 Speaker 1: we have this limited store of attention, this spotlight. When 268 00:18:45,996 --> 00:18:47,836 Speaker 1: I'm trying to do some work on a computer and 269 00:18:47,876 --> 00:18:50,356 Speaker 1: get my emails done, if part of my brain is 270 00:18:50,476 --> 00:18:53,396 Speaker 1: naturally going vigilantly to like, what is this random sound 271 00:18:53,396 --> 00:18:56,756 Speaker 1: that's going on in the background, I might not notice 272 00:18:56,756 --> 00:19:00,076 Speaker 1: all that consciously, but my processing speed is going down. 273 00:19:00,156 --> 00:19:02,476 Speaker 1: It's feeling a little bit more frustrating to do this 274 00:19:02,556 --> 00:19:04,276 Speaker 1: kind of thing. You know, I think there are these 275 00:19:04,316 --> 00:19:07,676 Speaker 1: clear cases where our sound environment is negatively affecting us 276 00:19:07,996 --> 00:19:16,196 Speaker 1: and we might not even realize it. Chapter four noise. 277 00:19:21,956 --> 00:19:24,116 Speaker 1: There's one funny study I tell my students about in 278 00:19:24,156 --> 00:19:26,996 Speaker 1: my class that looked at how well you savor a 279 00:19:27,116 --> 00:19:32,116 Speaker 1: positive experience when you get a phone ding. So they 280 00:19:32,156 --> 00:19:36,876 Speaker 1: had people experiencing a massage and there's just a phone 281 00:19:36,876 --> 00:19:39,436 Speaker 1: in the background that just dings wants during the massage, 282 00:19:41,276 --> 00:19:43,436 Speaker 1: your enjoyment of the massage goes down like a whole 283 00:19:43,476 --> 00:19:45,596 Speaker 1: point on a ten point scale, just because you heard 284 00:19:45,596 --> 00:19:48,196 Speaker 1: that ding. There was another study that looked at people 285 00:19:48,236 --> 00:19:55,076 Speaker 1: playing Mario Kart. So you're playing Mario Kart right and 286 00:19:55,156 --> 00:19:57,876 Speaker 1: you just hear your phone buzz in the background. All 287 00:19:57,876 --> 00:20:00,116 Speaker 1: of a sudden, your enjoyment of that Mario Kart game 288 00:20:00,196 --> 00:20:02,796 Speaker 1: goes down just because you heard a little text message. 289 00:20:07,196 --> 00:20:10,476 Speaker 1: I think we forget the strong consequences that noise can 290 00:20:10,516 --> 00:20:13,196 Speaker 1: have for us. Maybe not the whine of a refrigerator, 291 00:20:13,276 --> 00:20:17,836 Speaker 1: but outside construction noise, outside traffic noise. The evidence that 292 00:20:17,876 --> 00:20:21,396 Speaker 1: this stuff is affecting us deeply is stronger than we 293 00:20:21,476 --> 00:20:25,036 Speaker 1: really think. There's lots of evidence, for example, that hospital 294 00:20:25,076 --> 00:20:28,436 Speaker 1: patients that are in louder rooms with like louder noise 295 00:20:28,476 --> 00:20:32,596 Speaker 1: mechanisms and like beeping things wind up healing from surgeries 296 00:20:32,796 --> 00:20:35,996 Speaker 1: more slowly than patients that happen to be in more 297 00:20:36,076 --> 00:20:42,916 Speaker 1: quiet rooms, and the effects on kids is profound. Some 298 00:20:43,116 --> 00:20:46,396 Speaker 1: super famous studies in the nineteen seventies showed that kids 299 00:20:46,396 --> 00:20:49,556 Speaker 1: who live on the lower floors of an apartment building 300 00:20:49,556 --> 00:20:54,116 Speaker 1: in New York that happened to be near a big bridge, 301 00:20:54,916 --> 00:20:57,476 Speaker 1: they wind up showing reading scores that are worse than 302 00:20:57,516 --> 00:20:59,836 Speaker 1: the kids on the higher floors. And at first folks 303 00:20:59,836 --> 00:21:01,556 Speaker 1: are like, oh my gosh, the ambient sound is kind 304 00:21:01,556 --> 00:21:04,916 Speaker 1: of messing up learning. And folks fought this because that's 305 00:21:04,916 --> 00:21:07,556 Speaker 1: not people's intuition of, well, how can sound affect learning? 306 00:21:07,836 --> 00:21:10,116 Speaker 1: Maybe the people on the lower floors are, you know, 307 00:21:10,316 --> 00:21:12,836 Speaker 1: the lower income, you know, maybe there's something else correlated 308 00:21:12,876 --> 00:21:15,676 Speaker 1: with it. And then finally, this guy, Gary Evans at 309 00:21:15,716 --> 00:21:18,036 Speaker 1: Cornell was able to do a really cool study on this. 310 00:21:20,116 --> 00:21:25,436 Speaker 1: He was studying noise pollution near the Munich Airport, and 311 00:21:25,676 --> 00:21:28,116 Speaker 1: just as it would happen, they decided to move the 312 00:21:28,196 --> 00:21:30,156 Speaker 1: Munich Airport. I guess it was under renovation and so 313 00:21:30,196 --> 00:21:32,596 Speaker 1: they moved it somewhere else. So he was able to 314 00:21:32,636 --> 00:21:35,756 Speaker 1: track kids learning who were near the super loud airport, 315 00:21:35,796 --> 00:21:38,156 Speaker 1: and then the airport moved versus kids who are at 316 00:21:38,156 --> 00:21:40,676 Speaker 1: the new spot for the airport and compare what happened. 317 00:21:40,996 --> 00:21:42,596 Speaker 1: And what he finds is you look at say like 318 00:21:42,636 --> 00:21:46,396 Speaker 1: third and fourth graders, like reading scores go up when 319 00:21:46,396 --> 00:21:48,556 Speaker 1: the airport moves. For the kids who live near the 320 00:21:48,596 --> 00:21:51,516 Speaker 1: loud airport, and the kids who are now near like 321 00:21:51,556 --> 00:21:53,996 Speaker 1: the new place where the airport goes, they're reading scores 322 00:21:54,036 --> 00:21:56,836 Speaker 1: go down over time. And so all this goes to 323 00:21:56,876 --> 00:21:58,396 Speaker 1: say that I think, you know, if you were asked 324 00:21:58,396 --> 00:22:01,916 Speaker 1: those folks, hey, is it noisy, they'd probably consciously realize like, oh, 325 00:22:01,956 --> 00:22:04,756 Speaker 1: it's noisy, But would you think, like, you know, is 326 00:22:04,756 --> 00:22:07,636 Speaker 1: it messing up your cognitive processing? I think people don't 327 00:22:07,636 --> 00:22:10,556 Speaker 1: really realize this stuff, and it can have huge effects 328 00:22:10,596 --> 00:22:12,316 Speaker 1: on things that matter a lot for your happiness. It 329 00:22:12,316 --> 00:22:14,916 Speaker 1: doesn't just make you happier because that annoying sound is gone. 330 00:22:15,356 --> 00:22:18,636 Speaker 1: There's evidence that if you have less annoying sounds around, 331 00:22:18,796 --> 00:22:21,676 Speaker 1: you're more likely to be nicer to people. You just 332 00:22:21,876 --> 00:22:30,236 Speaker 1: become a worse person when there's bad sounds around. But 333 00:22:30,316 --> 00:22:32,476 Speaker 1: there are simple things we can do to make our 334 00:22:32,556 --> 00:22:38,996 Speaker 1: lives quieter. It's time to play the quiet game, the 335 00:22:39,196 --> 00:22:43,396 Speaker 1: game where you could win a quieter life. But first 336 00:22:43,636 --> 00:22:51,836 Speaker 1: you have to complete all four stages. Let's play Stage one. 337 00:22:52,636 --> 00:22:55,116 Speaker 1: Spray all of the doorhinges in your home with w 338 00:22:55,316 --> 00:23:01,396 Speaker 1: D forty. I do this every few months. Stage two. 339 00:23:02,116 --> 00:23:07,596 Speaker 1: Turn off every appliance in your home. Then turn them 340 00:23:07,596 --> 00:23:12,076 Speaker 1: back on again, one by one. If you find one 341 00:23:12,196 --> 00:23:14,636 Speaker 1: that's making a lot of noise, there might be something 342 00:23:14,676 --> 00:23:17,556 Speaker 1: that needs fixing, or maybe eventually you can replace it. 343 00:23:18,436 --> 00:23:22,556 Speaker 1: Stage three. Consider adding more soft materials to your home, 344 00:23:22,916 --> 00:23:27,436 Speaker 1: like curtains, throw blankets, pillows, rugs, and fabric based furniture. 345 00:23:27,916 --> 00:23:30,676 Speaker 1: These will soak up sound so your home feels quieter 346 00:23:30,756 --> 00:23:35,916 Speaker 1: and more intimate. Stage four. Put your phone in silent mode. 347 00:23:37,116 --> 00:23:42,796 Speaker 1: Your phone should work for you, not the other way around. Congratulations, 348 00:23:43,076 --> 00:23:46,916 Speaker 1: you have won yourself a quieter life. Thanks for playing 349 00:23:46,916 --> 00:24:00,076 Speaker 1: the quiet game. Will hear you next time? Chapter five Sleep. 350 00:24:06,116 --> 00:24:09,556 Speaker 1: So we've talked about how noisy sounds can negatively effect 351 00:24:09,596 --> 00:24:13,316 Speaker 1: our emotional state, our learning state. But there's another thing 352 00:24:13,356 --> 00:24:16,756 Speaker 1: that noise in particular can negatively affect, and that's our sleep. 353 00:24:20,156 --> 00:24:23,196 Speaker 1: If I could change one thing about my current college 354 00:24:23,196 --> 00:24:26,796 Speaker 1: student's mental health, I would make them sleep more, because 355 00:24:26,836 --> 00:24:29,396 Speaker 1: instantly that would improve their levels of depression and their 356 00:24:29,476 --> 00:24:33,756 Speaker 1: levels of anxiety, their wakefulness, and class. We forget that 357 00:24:33,796 --> 00:24:37,956 Speaker 1: sleep is so essential for our mental health and sound 358 00:24:38,036 --> 00:24:41,916 Speaker 1: can really affect sleep. Do you have any like sonic 359 00:24:42,316 --> 00:24:46,356 Speaker 1: rituals that you have to do around sleep? So I 360 00:24:46,516 --> 00:24:48,756 Speaker 1: definitely wake up a lot in the middle of the night. 361 00:24:49,076 --> 00:24:51,996 Speaker 1: These days, I listen to a lot of sleep meditations 362 00:24:52,676 --> 00:24:56,116 Speaker 1: and for me, these are really powerful for just like 363 00:24:56,276 --> 00:24:59,356 Speaker 1: helping me fall asleep. Here's a part of a sleep 364 00:24:59,396 --> 00:25:05,196 Speaker 1: meditation from a YouTuber named Jason Stevenson. And as you 365 00:25:05,276 --> 00:25:09,356 Speaker 1: gaze up the window, you admire the radiant color that 366 00:25:09,396 --> 00:25:15,716 Speaker 1: are spread across the sky. Violet, pink, and ambustris douzzle 367 00:25:15,756 --> 00:25:23,756 Speaker 1: your eyes. Sleep meditations are amazing. They've been really helpful 368 00:25:23,796 --> 00:25:27,956 Speaker 1: for me. I can't sleep without some form of noise, 369 00:25:28,036 --> 00:25:35,596 Speaker 1: like white noise. The reason that this white noise is 370 00:25:35,716 --> 00:25:40,916 Speaker 1: useful in that circumstance is that white noise is basically 371 00:25:41,636 --> 00:25:45,996 Speaker 1: sound that's covering all of the possible sounds that your 372 00:25:46,036 --> 00:25:49,996 Speaker 1: ears could hear. That's Mac Haygood, I'm a sound scholar 373 00:25:50,076 --> 00:25:53,596 Speaker 1: at Miami University of Ohio. The same way that white 374 00:25:53,716 --> 00:25:57,356 Speaker 1: light is a combination of every color, white noise is 375 00:25:57,396 --> 00:26:00,036 Speaker 1: a combination of all the frequencies that we can hear. 376 00:26:05,956 --> 00:26:08,876 Speaker 1: And the reason that's useful is you could have any 377 00:26:09,276 --> 00:26:12,756 Speaker 1: sound in any particular frequency, like the sound of a 378 00:26:12,796 --> 00:26:16,316 Speaker 1: dog barking, which is in the one thousand to two 379 00:26:16,316 --> 00:26:20,156 Speaker 1: thousand hurts range, and part of that frequency range of 380 00:26:20,196 --> 00:26:23,076 Speaker 1: the white noise is going to be covering that up. 381 00:26:23,476 --> 00:26:26,516 Speaker 1: And so this is known as masking, where one sound, 382 00:26:27,916 --> 00:26:30,716 Speaker 1: if it's in a similar frequency range to another sound, 383 00:26:32,316 --> 00:26:38,116 Speaker 1: it will cover that sound up. While you used to 384 00:26:38,156 --> 00:26:41,396 Speaker 1: need a dedicated device for white noise, these days you 385 00:26:41,396 --> 00:26:44,676 Speaker 1: can just download an app. These apps also include nature 386 00:26:44,716 --> 00:26:49,716 Speaker 1: sounds like bird calls, wind, and every kind of rain 387 00:26:49,796 --> 00:26:53,116 Speaker 1: you could imagine. You might think will rain as rain, 388 00:26:53,596 --> 00:26:57,076 Speaker 1: but actually people want the exact kind of rain that 389 00:26:57,116 --> 00:27:02,636 Speaker 1: they have a really positive emotional, psychological association with. So 390 00:27:02,996 --> 00:27:05,876 Speaker 1: people want rain on a tent, rain on a tarp, 391 00:27:06,276 --> 00:27:09,596 Speaker 1: rain on a tin roof, on a slate roof. They 392 00:27:09,636 --> 00:27:12,756 Speaker 1: want a big storm, or they want to light drizzle. 393 00:27:15,676 --> 00:27:17,876 Speaker 1: I had one app developer tell me if I have 394 00:27:17,916 --> 00:27:19,996 Speaker 1: to make another kind of rain, I'm going to lose 395 00:27:20,076 --> 00:27:24,156 Speaker 1: my mind. So why do many of us need to 396 00:27:24,156 --> 00:27:26,796 Speaker 1: cover up the random sounds around us in order to 397 00:27:26,836 --> 00:27:30,636 Speaker 1: get a good night's sleep. Our auditory systems have evolved 398 00:27:30,676 --> 00:27:34,716 Speaker 1: over time to aid us and to protect us and 399 00:27:34,796 --> 00:27:37,236 Speaker 1: to be alert and ready for things. And it was 400 00:27:37,276 --> 00:27:41,996 Speaker 1: probably pretty useful when we were sleeping outdoors on the 401 00:27:42,036 --> 00:27:46,076 Speaker 1: savannah to be a light sleeper, right and be tuned 402 00:27:46,116 --> 00:27:52,876 Speaker 1: into sounds that are happening out there. So just because 403 00:27:53,036 --> 00:27:57,796 Speaker 1: our physical circumstances has changed and we sleep in these 404 00:27:58,036 --> 00:28:01,756 Speaker 1: quite safe houses, that doesn't mean that our auditory systems 405 00:28:01,796 --> 00:28:05,756 Speaker 1: have completely changed in that way. The way our attention 406 00:28:05,796 --> 00:28:10,036 Speaker 1: works is we can't say, pay attention about to fall asleep. 407 00:28:10,036 --> 00:28:13,236 Speaker 1: Please stop paying attention to distracting sounds that pop out. 408 00:28:14,356 --> 00:28:18,156 Speaker 1: You hear the creek, you hear the dog bark outside. 409 00:28:18,396 --> 00:28:21,516 Speaker 1: Your brain notices that. But also it comes with a 410 00:28:21,556 --> 00:28:24,556 Speaker 1: certain amount of wakefulness, right, Like these moments where our 411 00:28:24,556 --> 00:28:27,076 Speaker 1: attention gets cued make us feel more vigilant. So we're 412 00:28:27,076 --> 00:28:30,596 Speaker 1: like and the comes with a whole rush of you know, 413 00:28:30,716 --> 00:28:34,396 Speaker 1: our neural system throwing in all these arousal mechanisms, like 414 00:28:34,476 --> 00:28:37,036 Speaker 1: we're noticing now you throw the white noise on. If 415 00:28:37,076 --> 00:28:39,156 Speaker 1: you can block those out, your brain just has less 416 00:28:39,196 --> 00:28:41,316 Speaker 1: moments to notice that stuff, which allows you to fall 417 00:28:41,356 --> 00:28:51,836 Speaker 1: asleep faster. The Handbook for Sonic Happiness will conclude after 418 00:28:51,956 --> 00:29:06,516 Speaker 1: a short break. Welcome back to the Handbook for Sonic Happiness, 419 00:29:07,516 --> 00:29:15,836 Speaker 1: Chapter six. Hearing protection. So this is something that I'm 420 00:29:15,876 --> 00:29:19,156 Speaker 1: really passionate about, mainly because how loud this world is 421 00:29:19,156 --> 00:29:22,316 Speaker 1: compared to our primitive ears, and as we get older, 422 00:29:22,356 --> 00:29:26,836 Speaker 1: that is natural for people to lose the highest frequencies 423 00:29:26,916 --> 00:29:29,796 Speaker 1: in their hearing. For example, my show is called twenty 424 00:29:29,836 --> 00:29:32,956 Speaker 1: thousand Hurts. Twenty thousand hurts is basically the highest frequency 425 00:29:33,076 --> 00:29:35,876 Speaker 1: that we humans can hear when we were kids, and 426 00:29:35,956 --> 00:29:37,676 Speaker 1: so if it was more accurate to me, it would 427 00:29:37,716 --> 00:29:40,676 Speaker 1: probably be called like sixteen thousand, five hundred hurts. At 428 00:29:40,716 --> 00:29:42,756 Speaker 1: my age rage, it's bad that you have to change 429 00:29:42,756 --> 00:29:44,876 Speaker 1: the name of your podcast as you get older it's 430 00:29:45,876 --> 00:29:49,116 Speaker 1: twelve thousand hurts. But it is totally totally normal for 431 00:29:49,236 --> 00:29:51,996 Speaker 1: these higher frequencies to diminish with age. And it doesn't 432 00:29:51,996 --> 00:29:54,596 Speaker 1: mean that you can't enjoy hearing. That's just part of life. 433 00:29:58,276 --> 00:30:01,316 Speaker 1: But if you're not careful, it is possible to damage 434 00:30:01,356 --> 00:30:05,956 Speaker 1: your hearing permanently. That kind of damage is different and preventable. 435 00:30:06,516 --> 00:30:08,636 Speaker 1: The best way to think of hearing protection is to 436 00:30:08,676 --> 00:30:11,956 Speaker 1: think of it like sunscreen. You can lie on the 437 00:30:11,996 --> 00:30:14,036 Speaker 1: beach in the sun for a few minutes without it, 438 00:30:14,236 --> 00:30:15,956 Speaker 1: but if you're going to be there for a long time, 439 00:30:16,356 --> 00:30:20,156 Speaker 1: you're gonna need it. And with sound, a few minutes 440 00:30:20,156 --> 00:30:22,996 Speaker 1: in a loud space is okay, but any longer and 441 00:30:23,036 --> 00:30:26,756 Speaker 1: you're gonna risk permanently damaging your hearing. Once it's damaged, 442 00:30:26,916 --> 00:30:29,276 Speaker 1: it's not like skin that got burnt in the sun. 443 00:30:29,716 --> 00:30:32,636 Speaker 1: The hair cells in your ears that capture sound never 444 00:30:32,676 --> 00:30:41,276 Speaker 1: grow back. Once they're gone, they're gone. But yeah, hearing protection. 445 00:30:41,396 --> 00:30:44,156 Speaker 1: I think everyone should have earplugs in their pocket, anything 446 00:30:44,156 --> 00:30:46,996 Speaker 1: from the simplest little foam earplugs to something a little 447 00:30:47,036 --> 00:30:49,116 Speaker 1: bit fancier. I always keep them with me, and it's 448 00:30:49,116 --> 00:30:50,716 Speaker 1: not just because I'm a sound designer. It's just that 449 00:30:50,756 --> 00:30:52,996 Speaker 1: I find myself in the gym and my watch will 450 00:30:53,036 --> 00:30:55,116 Speaker 1: go off saying this is loud. In twenty minutes, you're 451 00:30:55,116 --> 00:30:57,756 Speaker 1: gonna start doing hearing damage. Or I'll find myself in 452 00:30:57,796 --> 00:31:01,596 Speaker 1: a loud restaurant, or I'll find myself at a loud concert. 453 00:31:03,716 --> 00:31:07,276 Speaker 1: If I'm giving my kids a bath, they're just having 454 00:31:07,316 --> 00:31:09,716 Speaker 1: a ball, splashing and screaming and stuff. But I just 455 00:31:09,716 --> 00:31:12,036 Speaker 1: start to get really tense because it's so loud in 456 00:31:12,036 --> 00:31:16,036 Speaker 1: this little bathroom and my stress level of just having 457 00:31:16,036 --> 00:31:20,276 Speaker 1: the control of being able to plug that feels nice 458 00:31:20,356 --> 00:31:23,156 Speaker 1: to me. But yeah, I was wondering if you have 459 00:31:23,156 --> 00:31:26,196 Speaker 1: any thoughts on hearing protection. I think it's super important. 460 00:31:26,196 --> 00:31:29,476 Speaker 1: I mean, we often discount our future selves and forget 461 00:31:29,476 --> 00:31:32,836 Speaker 1: what our future selves preferences might be. Everybody's hearing is. 462 00:31:32,876 --> 00:31:34,916 Speaker 1: You're going to get a little worse over time, but 463 00:31:35,116 --> 00:31:37,076 Speaker 1: it can get a lot worse if you're not being 464 00:31:37,116 --> 00:31:44,316 Speaker 1: really careful. I think that we forget the cost that 465 00:31:44,476 --> 00:31:48,876 Speaker 1: hearing damage can cause, especially socially, right losing the frequencies 466 00:31:48,876 --> 00:31:51,596 Speaker 1: that are most important for hearing. A conversation over a 467 00:31:51,596 --> 00:31:54,956 Speaker 1: slightly louder restaurant that deeply affects your quality of life, 468 00:31:54,996 --> 00:31:57,476 Speaker 1: It deeply affects your social connection, It deeply affects your 469 00:31:57,476 --> 00:32:00,636 Speaker 1: well being over time, and so taking steps ahead of 470 00:32:00,676 --> 00:32:04,436 Speaker 1: time to protect that is really important for your future self. 471 00:32:04,436 --> 00:32:06,556 Speaker 1: But it's also important for you now, because we see 472 00:32:06,556 --> 00:32:09,756 Speaker 1: that noise makes us grumpier, it makes us worse people, 473 00:32:09,876 --> 00:32:12,356 Speaker 1: It makes us feel a little bit more frustrated, and 474 00:32:12,396 --> 00:32:14,636 Speaker 1: it makes it harder for us to regulate our attention 475 00:32:14,716 --> 00:32:17,236 Speaker 1: in our presence. So I love this idea of just 476 00:32:17,276 --> 00:32:18,956 Speaker 1: that your plugs in your pocket that you could just 477 00:32:18,996 --> 00:32:22,596 Speaker 1: pop in. And my argument is, I know it's hard 478 00:32:22,636 --> 00:32:26,516 Speaker 1: to really convince people about preventive measures in hearing, just 479 00:32:26,556 --> 00:32:29,716 Speaker 1: like it is with sunscreen. But I wouldn't even make 480 00:32:29,756 --> 00:32:32,436 Speaker 1: that as my primary argument. I would recommend anyone just 481 00:32:32,476 --> 00:32:35,196 Speaker 1: have it, just have it around, always accessible, because you 482 00:32:35,236 --> 00:32:37,836 Speaker 1: know when you need it, And just there's a very 483 00:32:38,436 --> 00:32:42,596 Speaker 1: stark contrast when I suddenly realize, oh, I really need 484 00:32:42,636 --> 00:32:45,556 Speaker 1: earplugs to me, it's almost just like a little blankie 485 00:32:45,676 --> 00:32:48,556 Speaker 1: or like a little bear, like it's my protective mechanism, 486 00:32:48,676 --> 00:32:51,076 Speaker 1: not because I'm a sound designer, not because I want 487 00:32:51,076 --> 00:32:53,116 Speaker 1: to protect hearing so much. It's very much in the 488 00:32:53,196 --> 00:32:58,396 Speaker 1: moment an anxiety pacifier for me. And you know, functionally, 489 00:32:58,436 --> 00:33:00,996 Speaker 1: what you're doing is like some sound that's really tripping 490 00:33:01,076 --> 00:33:03,036 Speaker 1: up your fight or flight system, that's causing you in 491 00:33:03,116 --> 00:33:05,756 Speaker 1: your body to feel like there's a tiger attacking me. 492 00:33:05,876 --> 00:33:09,316 Speaker 1: Right now, you can get rid of that tiger, and 493 00:33:09,356 --> 00:33:11,556 Speaker 1: in the moment that can have a huge effect on 494 00:33:11,916 --> 00:33:29,316 Speaker 1: you know, how you're feeling. Chapter seven, Sonic Tourism. I 495 00:33:29,396 --> 00:33:30,996 Speaker 1: know one of the things you've talked about is this 496 00:33:31,076 --> 00:33:35,236 Speaker 1: idea of sonic tourism. So what's sonic tourism. It sounds 497 00:33:35,316 --> 00:33:38,036 Speaker 1: kind of amazing, So it's you know, when we go 498 00:33:38,196 --> 00:33:41,516 Speaker 1: sight seeing, it's very similar to that we sight see 499 00:33:41,596 --> 00:33:44,036 Speaker 1: for a reason because there's that difference between a picture 500 00:33:44,236 --> 00:33:47,796 Speaker 1: or a video and what we feel there in the place, 501 00:33:47,876 --> 00:33:50,516 Speaker 1: because all of your senses are firing up. But the 502 00:33:50,556 --> 00:33:53,636 Speaker 1: idea of becoming more conscious with your hearing in these 503 00:33:53,676 --> 00:33:57,196 Speaker 1: moments for me, has brought a lot of joy. And 504 00:33:57,276 --> 00:33:59,476 Speaker 1: it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to go seek 505 00:33:59,476 --> 00:34:03,196 Speaker 1: out like some special sonic touristy place. There are lots 506 00:34:03,236 --> 00:34:06,756 Speaker 1: of them. There's a lot of like buildings with whispering galleries, 507 00:34:06,836 --> 00:34:08,356 Speaker 1: and usually you're going to find those when there's a 508 00:34:08,396 --> 00:34:10,596 Speaker 1: lot of arches in kind of a dome, so like 509 00:34:10,636 --> 00:34:16,756 Speaker 1: in Grand Central Station in New York City. So what's 510 00:34:16,756 --> 00:34:19,076 Speaker 1: happening is the one person can stand in the corner 511 00:34:19,076 --> 00:34:21,836 Speaker 1: of one side of the room, somebody else can can 512 00:34:21,876 --> 00:34:26,076 Speaker 1: whisper into one in the other corner pretty far away. 513 00:34:26,516 --> 00:34:28,636 Speaker 1: But the way that the dome is is that it'll 514 00:34:28,676 --> 00:34:31,156 Speaker 1: carry that signal very clearly kind of up and over 515 00:34:31,236 --> 00:34:34,116 Speaker 1: to where you hear it really clearly on the other side. 516 00:34:34,796 --> 00:34:36,596 Speaker 1: This is one of my favorite things to do. When 517 00:34:36,636 --> 00:34:38,796 Speaker 1: people visit New York and come in on the train 518 00:34:38,916 --> 00:34:41,516 Speaker 1: in New Haven, Connecticut, where I live, it like flops 519 00:34:41,516 --> 00:34:43,476 Speaker 1: you right into that spot in Grand Central Station. And 520 00:34:43,556 --> 00:34:45,116 Speaker 1: every time I'm there with a new prison, I'm like, 521 00:34:45,316 --> 00:34:46,996 Speaker 1: let's go to this room and stand in here, just 522 00:34:46,996 --> 00:34:49,796 Speaker 1: stand there, just stand there. Hey, sorry, you can hear 523 00:34:49,836 --> 00:34:53,996 Speaker 1: you over there, And people like, what WHOA. I think 524 00:34:54,036 --> 00:35:02,476 Speaker 1: it's people's favorite spot in New York. There's lots of 525 00:35:02,516 --> 00:35:06,716 Speaker 1: places where sound is as important, or maybe more important 526 00:35:06,756 --> 00:35:10,956 Speaker 1: than the visuals. That's accoustition and Trevor Cox. Trevor wrote 527 00:35:10,996 --> 00:35:14,876 Speaker 1: an entire book on sonic tourism called Sonic Wonderland. The 528 00:35:14,996 --> 00:35:17,716 Speaker 1: premise of Sonic Wonderland was to go and find the 529 00:35:17,716 --> 00:35:21,516 Speaker 1: most incredible, most gobsmacking sounds you could find in the world. 530 00:35:22,236 --> 00:35:24,676 Speaker 1: One of his favorites are the singing sand dunes of 531 00:35:24,756 --> 00:35:32,036 Speaker 1: Kelso Dunefield in the Mohave Desert. It's an exhausting experience 532 00:35:32,076 --> 00:35:34,876 Speaker 1: going to hear these sand dunes. It's incredibly hot in 533 00:35:34,916 --> 00:35:37,196 Speaker 1: the middle of summer, so it's a struggle to walk 534 00:35:37,276 --> 00:35:42,716 Speaker 1: up them to start with, But once you get to 535 00:35:42,756 --> 00:35:46,476 Speaker 1: the top, you hear a totally unique sound, you know 536 00:35:46,556 --> 00:35:48,516 Speaker 1: when you're in the right place, almost immediately because you 537 00:35:48,556 --> 00:35:50,636 Speaker 1: walk on the dune and it sounds a bit like 538 00:35:50,676 --> 00:35:59,636 Speaker 1: a bad played tuba sort. In the literature they talk 539 00:35:59,676 --> 00:36:02,236 Speaker 1: about this being a burping sound, but I think it 540 00:36:02,276 --> 00:36:12,796 Speaker 1: sounds more like a badly played wind instrument. So that's 541 00:36:12,836 --> 00:36:16,116 Speaker 1: one aspect, and then there's a completely opposite aspect of 542 00:36:16,156 --> 00:36:18,556 Speaker 1: something like an anachoic chamber. Have you been in one 543 00:36:18,596 --> 00:36:21,356 Speaker 1: of those? I have. It's really creepy. I find it 544 00:36:21,476 --> 00:36:24,876 Speaker 1: incredibly disturbing and in a kind of trippy, you know, 545 00:36:24,956 --> 00:36:27,436 Speaker 1: oh what a cool experience. Way, So to explain what 546 00:36:27,476 --> 00:36:29,836 Speaker 1: an anachoic chamber is, you know, if we were doing 547 00:36:29,956 --> 00:36:32,716 Speaker 1: an echoic chamber, that would be like a symphony hall, 548 00:36:32,916 --> 00:36:37,596 Speaker 1: lots of echoes, lots of sound bouncing around. Anakok is 549 00:36:37,596 --> 00:36:40,316 Speaker 1: the lack of that echo. So when you speak or 550 00:36:40,356 --> 00:36:46,196 Speaker 1: when you clap, there is no residual sound. It just 551 00:36:46,276 --> 00:36:50,076 Speaker 1: goes and it's done. And what's funny is it's terrifying 552 00:36:50,356 --> 00:36:53,756 Speaker 1: for you. Interestingly for me, I've been in one for 553 00:36:53,836 --> 00:36:56,596 Speaker 1: a long period of time with the lights out, so 554 00:36:56,676 --> 00:36:58,436 Speaker 1: when I got in it, I was just like, oh, 555 00:36:58,476 --> 00:37:01,716 Speaker 1: this just feels soothing. It just gets quiet. The cool 556 00:37:01,756 --> 00:37:05,076 Speaker 1: thing about it, though, is when the door shut and 557 00:37:05,116 --> 00:37:08,996 Speaker 1: I'm standing there, there's no echo. What happens is there's 558 00:37:09,196 --> 00:37:12,716 Speaker 1: first this realization of WHOA, okay. This is disorienting. I 559 00:37:12,716 --> 00:37:14,956 Speaker 1: almost want to fall over because I just feel like 560 00:37:15,156 --> 00:37:21,036 Speaker 1: something's gone. Okay. So I'm rolling and you're gonna shut 561 00:37:21,076 --> 00:37:22,716 Speaker 1: the doors and leave me in here for a little while. 562 00:37:22,956 --> 00:37:33,996 Speaker 1: That's right, fun, fun, alright. I think I've been in 563 00:37:34,036 --> 00:37:38,556 Speaker 1: here for about seven or eight minutes. One thing that 564 00:37:38,596 --> 00:37:41,956 Speaker 1: people talk about when they go into anto coach chambers 565 00:37:42,236 --> 00:37:48,396 Speaker 1: is pressure. So I do feel pressure, which is odd 566 00:37:48,516 --> 00:37:51,436 Speaker 1: because there's nothing that would actually be putting pressure on 567 00:37:51,476 --> 00:37:54,596 Speaker 1: my ear drums. But having no sound at all feels 568 00:37:55,676 --> 00:37:58,636 Speaker 1: feels a little bit like being under the water far 569 00:37:58,756 --> 00:38:02,716 Speaker 1: enough where it starts to hurt your ears. That's kind 570 00:38:02,716 --> 00:38:06,036 Speaker 1: of what it feels like. And I hear a high 571 00:38:06,036 --> 00:38:08,476 Speaker 1: pitched I don't know if i'd say I would hear it, 572 00:38:08,476 --> 00:38:13,596 Speaker 1: but I eve a high pitched noise. It's got to 573 00:38:13,636 --> 00:38:17,596 Speaker 1: be something that's just in my brain or ear. My 574 00:38:17,676 --> 00:38:20,716 Speaker 1: brain is interpreting it as audible, but I don't know 575 00:38:20,716 --> 00:38:22,716 Speaker 1: if it is. It's not a single tone but it's 576 00:38:22,716 --> 00:38:28,236 Speaker 1: like high pitched noise. So another phenomenon is that you 577 00:38:28,276 --> 00:38:31,156 Speaker 1: start to hear your internal organs more the longer you're 578 00:38:31,196 --> 00:38:35,756 Speaker 1: in here. So I'm starting to hear my heartbeat. I 579 00:38:35,756 --> 00:38:38,276 Speaker 1: can't even like breathe through my nose because it's so loud. 580 00:38:43,396 --> 00:38:45,436 Speaker 1: So you should hear a pretty loud rush of air 581 00:38:45,436 --> 00:38:55,876 Speaker 1: when they open this door. He's alive, I survived. What 582 00:38:56,076 --> 00:38:59,396 Speaker 1: was your experience? Mine is just that it sounds kind 583 00:38:59,396 --> 00:39:02,356 Speaker 1: of weird. I also have some ear balanced things. My 584 00:39:02,396 --> 00:39:05,396 Speaker 1: ears don't like it when there's no reverb happening. It 585 00:39:05,436 --> 00:39:07,156 Speaker 1: feels like I'm about to be on a plane and 586 00:39:07,196 --> 00:39:09,596 Speaker 1: my ears might pop or something. I wish that there's 587 00:39:09,596 --> 00:39:12,276 Speaker 1: an anachoic chamber, like in every state or in every city, 588 00:39:12,356 --> 00:39:15,956 Speaker 1: just as a tourist attraction, because it is very disorienting, right, 589 00:39:16,876 --> 00:39:19,596 Speaker 1: But you don't need a whispering gallery or an anachoic 590 00:39:19,676 --> 00:39:22,436 Speaker 1: chamber to be a sonic tourist. All you really need 591 00:39:22,516 --> 00:39:28,436 Speaker 1: to do is step outside. So I think there's all 592 00:39:28,436 --> 00:39:32,476 Speaker 1: these sounds in nature that just feel evolutionarily nice. You know, 593 00:39:32,476 --> 00:39:35,116 Speaker 1: we're kind of built to hear them. But nature sounds 594 00:39:35,156 --> 00:39:38,396 Speaker 1: also can bring about new kinds of emotions, and one 595 00:39:38,396 --> 00:39:40,996 Speaker 1: of my favorite emotions that you can get from natural 596 00:39:41,036 --> 00:39:44,236 Speaker 1: sounds is this emotion of awe, the sense that the 597 00:39:44,276 --> 00:39:47,196 Speaker 1: world is bigger than us. We see something really beautiful 598 00:39:47,236 --> 00:39:50,316 Speaker 1: and it can let us rethink our relationship with things. 599 00:39:50,756 --> 00:39:53,316 Speaker 1: I think there's these interesting natural sounds that tend to 600 00:39:53,356 --> 00:39:55,596 Speaker 1: do that for us, that bring up this emotion of 601 00:39:55,636 --> 00:39:58,676 Speaker 1: awe in the way that we might not expect. I'm 602 00:39:58,676 --> 00:40:02,036 Speaker 1: thinking of the sound of wind and like our big storm. 603 00:40:02,116 --> 00:40:04,316 Speaker 1: You know, I've experienced this being in New Englander and 604 00:40:04,356 --> 00:40:09,556 Speaker 1: hearing hurricanes or just the sound of surf, or really 605 00:40:09,596 --> 00:40:15,556 Speaker 1: different kinds of cool animals. You just feel this interesting 606 00:40:15,636 --> 00:40:18,676 Speaker 1: connection to something bigger than you, whether that's the natural 607 00:40:18,676 --> 00:40:21,996 Speaker 1: world or something spiritual. And there's so much evidence that 608 00:40:22,076 --> 00:40:25,836 Speaker 1: experiencing awe can improve our well being over time, can 609 00:40:25,876 --> 00:40:28,396 Speaker 1: make you feel more socially connected with other people in 610 00:40:28,436 --> 00:40:30,676 Speaker 1: the world around you. And I think this is something 611 00:40:30,716 --> 00:40:33,236 Speaker 1: we miss out on the natural world, is that our 612 00:40:33,396 --> 00:40:36,556 Speaker 1: auditory environment can actually give us this sense of awe. 613 00:40:37,356 --> 00:40:40,756 Speaker 1: I think we can all relate with being on the internet, 614 00:40:40,796 --> 00:40:43,956 Speaker 1: on social media, or in work or an email or whatnot. 615 00:40:44,276 --> 00:40:48,236 Speaker 1: To me, that's sonically like an anachoic chamber. It's very 616 00:40:48,436 --> 00:40:51,636 Speaker 1: me focused. I'm getting sucked into my brain and I'm 617 00:40:51,636 --> 00:40:53,876 Speaker 1: starting to hear all of my thoughts. I'm hearing all 618 00:40:53,916 --> 00:40:56,596 Speaker 1: of my fears, and I'm doing all of my second guessing. 619 00:40:57,596 --> 00:41:00,316 Speaker 1: But when I go out and I listen to nature, 620 00:41:01,996 --> 00:41:04,476 Speaker 1: or have a conversation with a real person, or go 621 00:41:04,516 --> 00:41:07,676 Speaker 1: to a concert and hear things that are outside of myself, 622 00:41:08,316 --> 00:41:10,996 Speaker 1: it's all inspire and it reminds me that I'm a 623 00:41:10,996 --> 00:41:13,956 Speaker 1: piece of a greater humanity. So I don't think it 624 00:41:13,956 --> 00:41:15,556 Speaker 1: has to even be like grand You don't have to 625 00:41:15,596 --> 00:41:18,916 Speaker 1: go to the ocean, but being mindful of the things 626 00:41:18,956 --> 00:41:21,476 Speaker 1: around you, going for a walk in the neighborhood, for me, 627 00:41:21,716 --> 00:41:48,676 Speaker 1: it feels like nature, So it's within reach. This episode 628 00:41:48,716 --> 00:41:51,076 Speaker 1: was a co production between twenty thousand Hurts and The 629 00:41:51,116 --> 00:41:54,956 Speaker 1: Happiness Lab. Over on twenty thousand Hurts, Dallas share stories 630 00:41:54,996 --> 00:41:59,036 Speaker 1: behind the world's most recognizable sounds, like famous sonic logos 631 00:41:59,076 --> 00:42:02,836 Speaker 1: from HBO, Windows, Couple, and Netflix. My ten year old 632 00:42:02,956 --> 00:42:04,916 Speaker 1: daughter just wandering about and I go Smarrow, I need 633 00:42:04,956 --> 00:42:07,916 Speaker 1: some help good over here, and I played for samaraw 634 00:42:08,316 --> 00:42:12,956 Speaker 1: Our five sounds and she was immediately no hesitation. It's 635 00:42:12,996 --> 00:42:16,716 Speaker 1: so obvious, Dad, it's this one, and she was gesturing 636 00:42:17,076 --> 00:42:19,996 Speaker 1: towards the sound file for the one that we used, 637 00:42:19,996 --> 00:42:27,476 Speaker 1: the two Dumb. They also share some surprising human moments, 638 00:42:27,796 --> 00:42:30,076 Speaker 1: like the inventor who hid in a bathroom just so 639 00:42:30,116 --> 00:42:32,476 Speaker 1: she could pitch her idea for a new digital format 640 00:42:32,516 --> 00:42:36,236 Speaker 1: to a famous director. I heed myself in the restroom 641 00:42:36,276 --> 00:42:41,396 Speaker 1: for ten hours and I was able to meet Spielberg. 642 00:42:41,796 --> 00:42:44,996 Speaker 1: I just jumped on in Man. And of course there 643 00:42:45,036 --> 00:42:48,636 Speaker 1: are lots of episodes about finding joy through sound, because 644 00:42:48,756 --> 00:42:51,916 Speaker 1: we're all audio files. We just haven't realized it yet. 645 00:42:52,876 --> 00:42:55,716 Speaker 1: So subscribe to twenty thousand Hurts now right here in 646 00:42:55,756 --> 00:43:08,316 Speaker 1: your podcast player. Until next time, stay safe and stay happy.