Science is Golden; Now Science Backs it Up
In this busy life when everyone is hyper-excited, trying to get the things done in a fast fashion and exceptionally loud, silence has regained its charm. People are always in dire need of peace, a sentence away from the hue and cry of life. And this is not just a call of a person tired with these noises, but this has been proven by the sciences that silence is an understated need of one’s brain.
This race started with Finland, when in the year 2011, the Finish tourist board ran a campaign which glorified the appreciated silence of Finland which got famous along with the tagline “Silence Please.” But now, this silent world has finally come to be approved by sciences too. Here are a few reasons, why.
Generation of new Brain Cells
In the year 2013, several studies were done on mice to study the effect of noise and sound on the brain cells. And what was found was astounding because silence no longer remained the element to control. Exposure to two hours of silence in a day helped in developing new brain cells in the hippocampus region. Although these cells don’t bring any health benefit as such, they turn these newly generated cells into differentiated neurons which are directly integrated into the system.
Evaluation of Information and its Optimization
A study stated that brain evaluates and internalizes its information even when it is resting. This is referred as the default mode of the brain. The default mode is also a characteristic when a person is reflecting on one’s personality and characterization but not during the time of self-recognition or self-esteem. At all these times, when the brain is in default mode, it is integrating its information gathered in a conscious workspace. And in times of science, there is an active participation of your conscious workspace, helping you to be creative, imaginative and segregate information as you receive them.
Relieving of stress and tension
If you are an inhabitant of a consistent noisy space, this is a likely chance that you shall be experiencing a disturbingly increasing level of hormones. This is how it works. The brain receives sound waves as an electrical signal through the ear to which the body reacts even if it is sleeping. The amygdalae which are located in the temporal lobes of the brain has relation to the memory formation and causes activation of emotions which induces a negative effect on the stress hormones.
A study made by Gary W. Evans on the effect of stress hormones on the children states that regular exposure to the noise brings the stress response in the kids which makes them ignore any noise, even the one that requires paying attention to the speech or lectures in class.
Replenishment of cognitive resources
The noise is said to have a negative effect on your task completion capability at work and school. The cognitive functions such as reading, memory building and problem-solving are egregiously affected by noise because of increase in error making and a sullen decrease in motivation. But the brain can gather all these lost cognitive skills if one tries to be in a silent environment for some time. This is because, in these silent hours, the brain lets down its sensory guard giving away the access to the brain to restore the lost information.
So, it is not Finland or Norway or any place that claims to be silent and serene, giving you a closer glimpse of nature, even you can also take a stroll of the neighborhood park and get yourself some peace of mind.
