Fact of the Day

Sounds


Over the course of the millions of years that hominids evolved into homo sapiens, the human brain's ability to process sounds was critical to survival. Creatures that responded appropriately enjoyed greater probability for survival of themselves and their progeny. Sounds are a mixture of audible frequencies. Some sounds are intrinsically soothing and rest-inducing: gurgling water, the soft cooing/humming of human voices, the low cackle of friendly fire. Other sounds cause the brain to release chemicals that induce stress response: the prolonged screech of a child or animal in pain or discomfort, or the screech of claws (bear, big cat, dire wolf) against a hard surface. These sounds of distress cause the individual to make addressing the stimulus a primary consideration, dropping everything else to flee or change the situation. On the level of human physiology, the human ear is designed to accommodate a broad range of frequencies and volumes. When certain sounds represent osci llations beyond the normal range of daily hearing, the result is physical pain in the inner ear. Blackboard screeching involves oscillations beyond the normal range of human hearing, just as jackhammers are beyond the normal range of comfortable volume. The result is that an individual orients to the sounds with an appropriate physical response.

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