The Benefits of Silence

To go beyond the mind, you must be silent and quiet

Sri Nisagardatta Maharaj

The world has gone through an incredible number of changes within the past century or two. Modern-day life is vastly different from even two or three generations ago. Modern technology has introduced a new way of communicating and travelling, and all of this has introduced new sounds to our lives. For most humans before the modern era, the daily environments we all lived in were relatively quiet and filled with the sounds of nature. The same cannot be said to be true today. Human life has changed so quickly, and we have yet to pause and reflect upon whether all these changes are suitable for our health. Is the silence of nature important for our health? Does the background noise of the modern world impair our cognitive abilities? These questions require exploration.

In 2011, the World Health Organization released a report outlining some research regarding the health effects of environmental noise (World Health Organization, 2011). This report, which heavily focused on road traffic noise, made some incredibly startling observations. For example, the noise from traffic seems to increase the risk of ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction. Additionally, both road and air traffic contribute to an increased risk of high blood pressure. The study also showed that the cognitive performance of children also decreased when exposed to a high decibel count. In summation, the report stated that 1 million healthy life years are lost every year in Europe due to traffic-related noise. Though environmental noise may seem a benign disturbance, it seems it has a tangible effect on our health and well-being.

The WHO produced a follow-up report in 2018 outlining possible mechanisms of how this effect on the body occurs (Eriksson et al., 2018). The negative influences environmental noises have on the body stem from the chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA). These are the neuronal and hormonal systems of our body’s stress response. Additionally, noise-induced sleep issues may also exaggerate the adverse effects. It seems our bodies are not well suited for such a noisy world.

The WHO is not the only organisation researching this dilemma, and the issue is not confined to street noise. A study conducted in London tested various cognitive abilities while the subjects were either listening to music, background noise, or silence (Reynolds et al., 2014). Though the music or noise did not negatively affect all cognitive test results, both decreased problem-solving capabilities. The results of this study suggest that it is not only obnoxious noise that may influence our health and cognitive function but any noise outside of a more natural setting.

The research in this area is very young and very small. Regardless, it seems evident that background noise caused by modern technology may not be harmless. It may be necessary for all of us to consider the noise levels of our living spaces and how we may live a life in more significant silence and tranquillity. In a theoretical piece written by Pia Heike Johansen (2020), the unique silence of Northern Norway was analysed. In the concluding remarks of this paper, Johansen notes that the listening of the silence of nature brings forth a sense of identity and connection with nature, which many people overlook.

In meditation, we learn to quiet the mind to understand better ourselves, our world, and our interconnectedness between the two. The silence of nature and ourselves provides us with a similar understanding. As the meditator advances, meditation is ideally practised in silence. If we quiet ourselves and sit in a quiet place, we can profoundly hear the truth of silence. As Ramana Maharshi once said, silence is the teaching.