Unexplainable The Sound Barrier #3: What does silence sound like?
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Nov 10, 2025 Rui Zhe Goh, a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University, dives into the curious relationship between silence and our psyche. He discusses a shocking study where participants preferred pain over the discomfort of silence. Rui explores auditory illusions, revealing how our brains process silence like sound. He shares his experience in an anechoic chamber, where extreme quiet amplifies internal sounds. The conversation invites us to rethink silence, showing it can be a profound, rich experience rather than mere emptiness.
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People Shock Themselves To Escape Silence
- Erin Westgate put participants alone in a silent room for 15 minutes expecting relaxation but most disliked it.
- Almost half chose to self-administer a painful electric shock rather than continue sitting in silence.
Silence Is Processed Like Sound
- Rui Zhe Goh tested a "silence" version of the 'one is more' illusion and found people perceive single silences as longer.
- This shows the auditory system treats silences similarly to sounds, meaning we can 'hear' silence.
Quiet Room Makes Inner Sounds Loud
- Noam visited Cooper Union's anechoic chamber and felt the silence as a thick, surreal sensation.
- After minutes he heard amplified internal noises like breathing, heartbeat, and high pitches that felt uncertain.