What is useful (and dangerous) around us "noise"
Today, architecture in cities is of great importance: we have learned to build “smart” and eco-friendly houses, but few people think about the sounds that constantly surround us inside them (we even once talked about the sound ecosystem with Yury Fomin in one of our podcasts ) .
Each place has its own recognizable sound: a cafe, metro, restaurant and even a bus. Sounds constantly affect us and can affect not only mood, but also health.
In this material we will tell about “everything except music” - about the variety of sounds that surround us, interfere with us or, on the contrary, help.
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Photo oliver mercader / CC-BY
Often we get used to the sounds around us and stop paying attention to them, but if they disappear abruptly, we will notice a huge difference. Megacities and cities constantly “sound”, creating a cacophony more like noise. George Foy, a journalist and professor at New York University, conducted his own experiment to find a quiet place in different countries, and came to the conclusion that even in the Antarctic and the most remote forests of the Amazon, sooner or later you will be overtaken by the sound of an airplane flying. Even the most remote corners of the planet today are “littered” with human noise.
Approximately to the same conclusions came Bernie Krause (Bernie Krause), American bioacoustic, recording engineer, musician and environmentalist. He records the sounds of nature, or soundscapes, and if 40 years ago he needed only 10 hours of recording to get one hour of “good” content, today this figure reaches 1000 hours. Birds leave their habitats, and their place on the recordings is occupied by sounds made by people.
Therefore, silence today is becoming a resource for which people are willing to pay: noise-canceling headphones, sound insulation in apartments. The city can be filled not just with sounds, but with harmful noise. And noise, in fact, is a vibration that can adversely affect not only a person’s mood, but also his health. For example, doctors have proven the link between hypertension and living near a constant source of noise. But how can a city dweller deal with the negative impact of a city’s sound?
A possible solution was proposed by Meyer Sound, which, as an experiment, installed a special noise reduction system in a restaurant in Berkeley, California. It consists of 123 microphones and subwoofers, which are located throughout the restaurant. The system records the original sound of the site, and after computer processing, the modified sound again enters the room.
At the same time, the sound engineer can fully control the sound inside the room, and guests are given the opportunity to talk quietly without having to shout over the noise around. Such technology is usually used at large concert venues, but it can potentially be in demand not only in restaurants, but also in many places with large crowds of people.
From the noise you can not hide even at home. On the one hand, the sounds of the street can fill the room and “expand” its boundaries (which is why installers do not advise to get too involved in soundproofing of the room - a completely devoid of “sounding” place is caused by oppressive and extremely unpleasant feelings). But if the apartment goes out onto a busy street, then even with the windows closed, the night riders are perfectly audible, the cries of late revelers, the rumbling trams, the working road equipment ... There are a lot of such unpleasant sounds penetrating into your personal space.
Not only soundproofing, filling the room with furniture and textiles can cope with them, but also gadgets - so, in 2013, the developers presented to the public the Sono project - a device that suppresses external vibrations and is mounted on the window. It can "create silence", as well as work in the noise blocker mode, playing pleasant sounds to the ear - the soothing sound of rain and birds singing. By the way, some devices of this type can even be taken with you to restaurants or trips. Silence is not only sold, but also becomes mobile:
Noise can harm human health, leading to chronic fatigue and stress. But the sound is often used for the benefit of man. Today, the use of sounds to help with rehabilitation is actively spreading in the West, although the idea itself is not new and comes from the ancient cultures of South America, India and China. There is no magic here, just the right sounds can influence a person’s mood. And the main effect, according to Amritta Cottrell, founder of Music Therapy Organizations in California, can be achieved through relaxation.
We live in constant tension, which can exacerbate painful sensations or lead us to a depressed state - relaxation, however, removes unnecessary tension and improves overall well-being. Now scientists are collecting data on the possibility of using sound therapy when working with patients with delays in physical and mental development, with communication and mental disorders, as well as children and elderly people - the number of studies on this topic is gradually increasing.
Another rational explanation of the effect of such methods is the placebo effect. According to Dr. Vijay B. Vad, a sports medicine specialist at the Clinical Surgery Hospital in New York, 35% of patients felt relief from back pain after taking placebo. Therefore, if a person believes in the healing power of sounds, then this method can act in a similar way.
Sound waves of different frequencies are also used in traditional medicine. For example, ultrasound. Moreover, it is used both for disinfection of medical instruments, drugs and food (usually as additions to other disinfection methods), and for accelerating tissue repair after injuries and treating pain on physical procedures. And although not all doctors recognize the effectiveness of ultrasound for regeneration, there is definitely a certain effect - warming and massaging the area of impact.
Another application of ultrasound, which is still at the research stage, is the effect on cancer cells. And although high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy already at this stage revealed many side effects, there are patients whom this treatment has helped. But the method is still used as an experimental method, and clinical trials are not over.
But the effectiveness of ultrasound ( ultrasound ), no one in doubt. Ultrasonic waves allow doctors to obtain images of internal organs and are considered safe (in comparison with X-rays). But not only ultrasound is used in the diagnosis. Ordinary sounds of our body can also tell a lot about the health of the patient. With a simple stethoscope, an experienced doctor can recognize certain symptoms - simply because he knows how well a healthy heart “sounds” (for example, there are audio recordings of such sounds in this material ).
Despite the fact that noise pollutes the environment, we have learned to use many of the sounds around us for good. And although not all methods of using sound are recognized by official medicine, one thing is for sure: the right sounds or favorite music can definitely improve our mood and help us relax after a hard day’s work.
Additional reading:
Each place has its own recognizable sound: a cafe, metro, restaurant and even a bus. Sounds constantly affect us and can affect not only mood, but also health.
In this material we will tell about “everything except music” - about the variety of sounds that surround us, interfere with us or, on the contrary, help.
')
Photo oliver mercader / CC-BYThe noise around us: our friend and enemy
Often we get used to the sounds around us and stop paying attention to them, but if they disappear abruptly, we will notice a huge difference. Megacities and cities constantly “sound”, creating a cacophony more like noise. George Foy, a journalist and professor at New York University, conducted his own experiment to find a quiet place in different countries, and came to the conclusion that even in the Antarctic and the most remote forests of the Amazon, sooner or later you will be overtaken by the sound of an airplane flying. Even the most remote corners of the planet today are “littered” with human noise.
Approximately to the same conclusions came Bernie Krause (Bernie Krause), American bioacoustic, recording engineer, musician and environmentalist. He records the sounds of nature, or soundscapes, and if 40 years ago he needed only 10 hours of recording to get one hour of “good” content, today this figure reaches 1000 hours. Birds leave their habitats, and their place on the recordings is occupied by sounds made by people.
Therefore, silence today is becoming a resource for which people are willing to pay: noise-canceling headphones, sound insulation in apartments. The city can be filled not just with sounds, but with harmful noise. And noise, in fact, is a vibration that can adversely affect not only a person’s mood, but also his health. For example, doctors have proven the link between hypertension and living near a constant source of noise. But how can a city dweller deal with the negative impact of a city’s sound?
A possible solution was proposed by Meyer Sound, which, as an experiment, installed a special noise reduction system in a restaurant in Berkeley, California. It consists of 123 microphones and subwoofers, which are located throughout the restaurant. The system records the original sound of the site, and after computer processing, the modified sound again enters the room.
At the same time, the sound engineer can fully control the sound inside the room, and guests are given the opportunity to talk quietly without having to shout over the noise around. Such technology is usually used at large concert venues, but it can potentially be in demand not only in restaurants, but also in many places with large crowds of people.
From the noise you can not hide even at home. On the one hand, the sounds of the street can fill the room and “expand” its boundaries (which is why installers do not advise to get too involved in soundproofing of the room - a completely devoid of “sounding” place is caused by oppressive and extremely unpleasant feelings). But if the apartment goes out onto a busy street, then even with the windows closed, the night riders are perfectly audible, the cries of late revelers, the rumbling trams, the working road equipment ... There are a lot of such unpleasant sounds penetrating into your personal space.
Not only soundproofing, filling the room with furniture and textiles can cope with them, but also gadgets - so, in 2013, the developers presented to the public the Sono project - a device that suppresses external vibrations and is mounted on the window. It can "create silence", as well as work in the noise blocker mode, playing pleasant sounds to the ear - the soothing sound of rain and birds singing. By the way, some devices of this type can even be taken with you to restaurants or trips. Silence is not only sold, but also becomes mobile:
“Sounds of Health”
Noise can harm human health, leading to chronic fatigue and stress. But the sound is often used for the benefit of man. Today, the use of sounds to help with rehabilitation is actively spreading in the West, although the idea itself is not new and comes from the ancient cultures of South America, India and China. There is no magic here, just the right sounds can influence a person’s mood. And the main effect, according to Amritta Cottrell, founder of Music Therapy Organizations in California, can be achieved through relaxation.
We live in constant tension, which can exacerbate painful sensations or lead us to a depressed state - relaxation, however, removes unnecessary tension and improves overall well-being. Now scientists are collecting data on the possibility of using sound therapy when working with patients with delays in physical and mental development, with communication and mental disorders, as well as children and elderly people - the number of studies on this topic is gradually increasing.
Another rational explanation of the effect of such methods is the placebo effect. According to Dr. Vijay B. Vad, a sports medicine specialist at the Clinical Surgery Hospital in New York, 35% of patients felt relief from back pain after taking placebo. Therefore, if a person believes in the healing power of sounds, then this method can act in a similar way.
Sound waves of different frequencies are also used in traditional medicine. For example, ultrasound. Moreover, it is used both for disinfection of medical instruments, drugs and food (usually as additions to other disinfection methods), and for accelerating tissue repair after injuries and treating pain on physical procedures. And although not all doctors recognize the effectiveness of ultrasound for regeneration, there is definitely a certain effect - warming and massaging the area of impact.
Another application of ultrasound, which is still at the research stage, is the effect on cancer cells. And although high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy already at this stage revealed many side effects, there are patients whom this treatment has helped. But the method is still used as an experimental method, and clinical trials are not over.
But the effectiveness of ultrasound ( ultrasound ), no one in doubt. Ultrasonic waves allow doctors to obtain images of internal organs and are considered safe (in comparison with X-rays). But not only ultrasound is used in the diagnosis. Ordinary sounds of our body can also tell a lot about the health of the patient. With a simple stethoscope, an experienced doctor can recognize certain symptoms - simply because he knows how well a healthy heart “sounds” (for example, there are audio recordings of such sounds in this material ).
Despite the fact that noise pollutes the environment, we have learned to use many of the sounds around us for good. And although not all methods of using sound are recognized by official medicine, one thing is for sure: the right sounds or favorite music can definitely improve our mood and help us relax after a hard day’s work.
Additional reading:
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/401729/
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