Can't we bear too much silence?

Orfield laboratory

In this 21^st century, we are in the world of technology. Technology brought us a lot of luxury into our lives but also carried with it an unwanted entity. This unwanted thing that we usually encounter is NOISE. We must be aware that every unbearable noise you hear is a consequence of the advanced technology. So, our lives are filled with a lot of noise and the reasons for it are innumerable let it be from traffic, industry to airplanes flying over your head. Amidst of these noisy environments we always strive to spend some quality time in tranquillity. Every one seeks for a place where we can spend some time without the buzz of traffic and other noise and this is a universal wish. At this point of time we would like to ask you people a question.

Is there any limit for silence and tranquillity? If so what is the factor that is defining the limits?

We expect more and more silence in our living space and we literally aspire to be isolated from the outside noise which is usually disgusting and this is the reason we encounter houses with glass which blocks outside noise to enter into our space. But in nature everything has a limit, either good or bad and tranquillity is not an exception. It means that we humans cannot tolerate silence that is out of limit. Seems ridiculous?? But it’s a fact. This was confirmed after consolidating a lot of personal experiences by many people after their time at the world’s quietest place ever. Is there any such place which is the quietest in the world? Yes!!! It is the          Anechoic chamber at Orfield laboratories in South Minneapolis.

What is Anechoic Chamber?

Anechoic chamber is nothing but a room or a place which can completely absorb the reflections of either sound or electromagnetic waves. It means there will be no echo for the sound generated in the room and the sound will be completely absorbed by its walls. It also blocks ultrasonic sounds from entering into the chamber.

How can this acoustic isolation be achieved?

In the Orfield laboratory the anechoic chamber was constructed with 3.3 foot thick fiberglass acoustic wedges along with double walls of insulated steel and a foot thick concrete. Also the chamber is made deprived from light to avoid noise due to lights in the chamber. Also the flooring of room is a suspended mesh to stop any sound of footfalls. Due to this intense insulation, this chamber is capable of absorbing 99.99% of the sound and is rated as the quietest place in the world by the Guinness book of world records.

What happens when one enters this chamber?

Human ears can process and function appropriately only in a particular range of sound intensities. If the intensity crosses an upper limit, the ears get deafened and if the intensity goes below a lower limit, then the ears fail to recognize the sound. Usually human ears cannot sense any sound below 0dBA. But due to a lot of insulation the anechoic chamber in Orfield lab, the measured background noise was around -9.4dBA. When one enters the chamber they will encounter complete darkness and there will be nothing to hear inside the room even your footsteps. It means even you step on the floor you cannot hear the sound of your footsteps. Scientists say that while in darkness it is only through the sound of our footsteps, our brain receives a feedback about the path we are walking in. Since there is an absence of sound from the footsteps, our brain become perplexed so as the human body and we ought to sit in the room inevitably. We all are aware about the behaviour of sound. If there are multiple sources of sound, the one with major intensity will dominate the other. But here, there is no other source of sound except you to dominate. So, you become the sole source of sound inside the chamber. Slowly one starts hearing the sound of their breath. It is natural tendency of the ear that if there is no noise, it strains to sense some noise and thus minute sounds from our body which we normally cannot hear can be sensed by our ears. Apart from breathing, one can hear his heartbeat and minute sounds from the stomach as if they are amplified. This state when prolonged for a long time creates hallucinations. It means that the one who entered the room starts perceiving something as real even though it is imaginary. This creates a sense of fear and the prevailing darkness in the room adds further to the purpose. After sometime, it really becomes unbearable to stay in that room and most of the people went inside to experience extreme tranquillity came out frightened. Till now, 45 min was the longest time that a person spent inside the anechoic chamber in Orfield lab.

What for these anechoic chambers?

Anechoic chambers weren’t constructed for the mere reason of frightening people. These play a crucial role in the field of technology to manufacture goods and accessories which are silent and make less noise during operation. Firms like Harley-Davidson test their models in this facility to manufacture bikes with unwanted noise but without missing their hallmark sound while driving. Home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool also test their models for unwanted noise. Due to complete insulation from outside noise, the chamber gives exact analysis of the noise that equipment is generating. NASA uses its own anechoic chamber of this type, to train their astronauts. Universe itself is a big anechoic chamber and this training familiarizes the astronauts about the existing conditions in space.

Human body is a complex system whose operation cannot be predicted always. Tranquillity is the luxury we all wish to have in this buzzy world but this tranquillity when overdosed can frighten you like anything. This emphasizes the law of nature, “good or bad must be in proper proportions”.        

                                                    Source : www.dailymail.co.uk