Not really. Just an escape from noise.
> unnerved by it
... when it seems unusual, or unnatural. In the woods you don't expect the deer to be shouting on their cellphones.
A heavy, windless snowfall is as quiet as the world gets. Nobody finds that particularly unnerving.
> Cut off from the daily noises that usually drown out our body functions, it becomes possible to hear the grind of bones as your joints move, the ringing of tinnitus can become deafening.
[1] http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170526-inside-the-quietest...
I find myself in a cave... I dunno: weekly? That is, in part, because I live near many of them, and I'm very curious.
If you're in a cave weekly then you are in a very, very tiny minority of people. That's pretty cool though.
An anechoic chambers sounds weird because there is practically no natural analogue.
Granted it's still quieter than most environments, but feels less so than things like a heavy snowfall.
But if you know what to listen for, you can hear it without an anechoic chamber.
UK: Malvern, Sugarloaf Hill. On a crisp day in autumn. Walking down the escarpment in complete silence. No birds. One of my most vivid memories. Strange isn't it?
OA: I found Kagge's book a little thin and shallow - lots of information about his lifestyle and satisfactions, less analysis. Perhaps that is just me.
Source: Working in a lab that recorded these sounds for science.
1. A high-pitched hum, that is always there, if I choose to listen to it in a quiet place. (It's quiet enough now in my kitchen at 08:05; the only real sound I can hear is a collared dove every now and then.) If I really concentrate on it it can turn into a sound almost like crashing waves.
2. A ringing sound that is loud enough to interfere with hearing real sounds. I only have this a few times a year, often brought on by loud noises.
I had assumed that 1 is a standard feature of human hearing, while 2 is a medical condition called tinnitus. However, although lots of people have described 1, I'm not sure that everyone experiences it. It would be useful to have different names for these two things, even if they are to be described as two types of tinnitus.
I think the nervous system has a dynamic gain. Its when things are quiet that the gain is high enough to tune into the high pitch hum. Hearing it for me is a good sign that I am now ready and in the 'zone'. It is insanely frustrating when you want to get into the zone but cant, at such times i really crave for the hum to start.
my mother couldn't bear noise from the TV if my father pick the channel. "too loud". But if it's her choice of show, suddenly sound level is not an issue anymore.
I'm a bit different than than the average here, I'm a chef. My extraction fans, ovens, hot pans, all make a tremendous oint of noise, by the end of my shift I just want quiet.
I want to get home, kiss my son good night, try to remind my wife that I'm her Husband, and get some sleep in a quiet area.
No noise freaks me ou though.