Question about complete hearing loss...as a feature!

[Cortexturizer]

Probably a somewhat whacky way to start a topic, and my absolute apologies to guys who had probably experienced hearing loss or impediment at some point, but I frequently find myself thinking about this: how come that we still haven't come up with a way to provide complete silence via some gadget or something?

I mean hear me out. To me it looks like something that should be as standard as medicines sold in pharmacies. Imagine a gadget or liquid or whatever, that would give you complete silence, and complete rest. I don't have a newborn baby, that is not why I'm writing this but I often am in a situation where I would just love to be able to completely tune out without putting a restraint to someone's freedom, for example, when I get home from work I want to be able to rest and my GF wants to crank some music, and we live in a small apartment, so it's impossible for me to have some rest without reducing her freedom to crank the music up (she relaxes like that, I relax by...well relaxing, in a horizontal position haha). Then there's traffic, of course, then loudness coming from the neighbours (sometimes at 1 or 2 a.m. in an apartment above mine, right) so that frustrates me... and so on and so on. So many situations. So without having to reduce the freedom of others, without smashing the head of my inconsiderate neighbour with a sledgehammer, without...getting frustrated, wouldn't it be easier just to tune out and enjoy your peace?

This took a ranting route although my motivation for writing this hadn't been related to that haha. But seriously, wouldn't that be like the prefect product for a modern day man (and woman, obviously)?

What are the obstacles? I know there are so many smart people here, scientists even, so I would like your take on it. I posted a similar thing to Quora but got nowhere with it. I know that sound is about waves right, and a simple earbud is simply not gonna stop those, reduce maybe, but never entirely. And they can be uncomfortable to wear.

A silly topic if you will, but I'd love your take on it and whether or not you feel your life would be in any way bettered by being able to tune out completely whenever you want. Cheers!

[midwayfair]

We don't hear just by receiving sound waves through the ear canal: We also hear via bone conduction. Your whole body, including your feat, will transmit low frequencies, and your head also resonates well at fairly high frequencies (which I think is one reason we're so sensitive to frquencies in the 2KHz range, but don't quote me on that).

Also, the only thing that produces actual sound proofing is MASS. You need a lot of it to stop low frequencies; less to stop high frequencies, but still some. Ear plugs are better at stopping high frequencies and midrange frequencies than bass frequencies. We continue to hear low frequencies better, though, not just because ear plugs are insufficiently massive but again because the low frequencies are more easily conducted through the bony parts of your body.

Shutting out sound completely, then, isn't simple a matter of blocking sound from reaching your ear drums. You have to either physically isolate yourself from the sound source (whether through distance or blocking mass) or prevent your brain from receiving signals. Most people probably would not want to sever the nerve connections in their heads to make themselves deaf and rely on an electronic device staying on, so the latter is out. Distance is simply impractical in the real world. Isolation chambers are a real thing, but the quiestest one in the world -- quiet enough to drive you insane -- probably still has an ambient sound level of a few decibels. Your own heartbeat will be audible in that space. Also, again, it would drive you insane. You actually don't want complete silence ...

[matmosphere]

I get where you're coming from but I'm pretty sure it would be very disorienting and uncomfortable for most people. There might be side effects that would also make this unpleasant. For example balance is also closely tied to your heating and inner ear, so it could cause things like severe motion sickness in many people.

To be fair though, I find random background noise pretty relaxing.

[Muadzin]

Aren't there special headsets you can use to cancel out outside noise via grey noise? Or something?

[raulduke]

A better way around it may be to learn some meditation techniques.

From limited experience these kind of techniques can be very powerful for blocking the outside world out and getting some rest.

I was on holiday last week, and waiting in the Airport departure lounge I see (time and time again) how stressed in general people get in airports, and with flying in general. Part of that stress I believe is the sensory overload of being surrounded by a lot of people in close proximity, a lot of noise, and a lot of sh*t going on.

When me and my wife went traveling (with a lot of hanging around at airports and train stations) we both learned how to just 'tune out', block all the noise out, and just relax.

[EBRAddict]

A hammock suspended by bungie cords in a vacuum chamber should work.

[jimilee]

As I understand it, a white noise generator will do just that. As I am deaf, removing my hearing aides makes it all go away. On the downside, I can't hear anything if I'm asleep, and my alarm clock has to be annoyingly loud.


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[George]

You need an isolation tank

[kgull]

One of the things on my bucket list is to visit an anechoic chamber, which are the quietest places that exist on the planet. Supposedly, the silence is enough to literally drive a person mad. Not sure I believe that but interesting anecdote nonetheless.

A problem is that if the room you are in is quiet enough, you will start to hear the noises your body makes. Not just stuff like a gurgling belly or a heartbeat either but stuff like your bones and muscles creaking and your blood flowing.

Still, pretty cool stuff.

[pryde]

As mentioned above sensory deprivation tanks are becoming more common and some valid research is suggesting positive health benefits.


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[pickdropper]

One of the things on my bucket list is to visit an anechoic chamber, which are the quietest places that exist on the planet. Supposedly, the silence is enough to literally drive a person mad. Not sure I believe that but interesting anecdote nonetheless.

A problem is that if the room you are in is quiet enough, you will start to hear the noises your body makes. Not just stuff like a gurgling belly or a heartbeat either but stuff like your bones and muscles creaking and your blood flowing.

Still, pretty cool stuff.

I suppose it could drive somebody mad, but I don't think it affects most people that way.  I regularly work in an anechoic chamber and I can stay in there for hours without issue.

You can hear various bits of your body, though.  As well as every bit of tinnitus that you didn't realize you had when masked by normal environmental noise.

[lincolnic]

You can hear various bits of your body, though.  As well as every bit of tinnitus that you didn't realize you had when masked by normal environmental noise.

I don't know if this is actually true, but I've been told that some of that sound is actually generated by your nervous system as well.

[Cortexturizer]

awesome responses people, enjoying reading through the thread

[jimilee]

I heard my hair growing once....


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[davent]

100% deaf in the right ear, collateral damage, along with severing of the nerve responsible for the right side of my face, brain tumor excavation in 2011. (Then nerve reassignment surgery a couple weeks later, Frankenstein hack, on paper i'm a mess but i'm not.)

Apparently being stone deaf on one side results in a real loss of 60-65% hearing... you go a bit mad not hearing well, what was that sound, where'd it come from, strategically place yourself so the good ear's in the conversation or conveniently not. I'd hear something and always needed to identify it and where, now that's a constant struggle. I use a foam earplug in my good ear at night so i can sleep otherwise random noises are going keep awake all night.
You can't really tell where the sounds originate, your brain starts to adapt strategies to sort it out but it comes nowhere near what binaural hearing so easily gives you.

Similarly in the day if i need to focus hard, an Etymotic ear bud with the foam earpiece, an ipod and music, doesn't take much volume to block out the noise distractions.

How 'bout a pair or really nice sealed headphones for your girlfriend?

And protect your hearing!
dave