Our lives are as filled with sound as it is filled with color. We complain of sound usually associated with the city (noise), or the people next door (also noise). The rumbling and whistle of a train can set you on edge, or be comforting just before sleep, if in the distance. A thunderclap close by can jolt you, or add to tranquility with a low rumble, again, in the distance.
We leave the city and go to the country, partially of the want to rid ourselves of sound. But when we arrive there we are searching for sound. The gentle flow of a stream, the wind through the trees, or a popular favorite- rain on a metal roof.
I'm sure we ignore most sound in our daily lives. The bustle of your city is one example, but just walk into a quiet building with soft background music and its easy to see how the outside has affected us.
Excerpts from The Sound of Personality by Colin Allen: A person's album collection may actually say quite a lot about them. It may be an indicator of personality traits.
People who enjoy blues, jazz, classical and folk are more likely to be creative, open to new experiences and enjoy abstract ideas. They lean politically to the left.
Those who liked pop, country, and religious tend to be more extroverted, trusting of others and hard working. They lean to the right.
People who prefer alternative, rock, and heavy metal are inclined to be physically active and adventurous.
Dance and hip-hop fans are apt to be more outgoing, athletic, and agreeable.
Mantras, chants, toning, and singing are a few techniques that have been used through the ages for achieving personal harmony, health, and enjoyment. The ancient scriptures of Buddhism consider the mantra "aum" or OM, so powerful it can lead to enlightenment. A book that studies this in depth is Sound Psychology: the Tao of Music by John Ortiz.
How does sound affect your life? Not only music, but nature, voices, machinery, traffic, and the myriad of other sources of sound?
( an in depth article on music and personality can be found on silverwhisper's blog entitled To what do you listen? Mar 13)
beyondtheveil posted on Jul 10, 2007
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Comments
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uniquely-ironic said on Jul 10, 2007....
I have a love/hate relationship with sounds. I love to hear some things, even the squeek of an office chair, but hate others, like the voice of a colleage who is irritating. In the end I would always choose to put up with the bad so that I could enjoy the good. -
secretlife said on Jul 10, 2007....
when i think about this i'm not sure how to answer because i've always been a hearing person, so i've always known sounds.
by the same token if you ask a person deaf from birth how lack of sound affects their lives, they might not be able to tell you-
i bet the best answer comes from a hearing person who suddenly finds themself in silence or a deaf person who suddenly can hear.
i'm grateful for the music. i can't really imagine life without music. and for the voices of the people i love....my children giggling...my father on a video that brings him back to life for a few seconds...
as i get older, i also find i appreciate quiet more....sitting outside at night listening to the crickets or in the morning listening to the birds...
there are several sounds that i cannot stand even for 1 second- 1) chalk on a blackboard 2) styrofome
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ladyofspirit said on Jul 10, 2007....
Hearing my little boys laugh literally makes me happier than anything.Certain classical music, or a piece one of my boys might play on the piano will bring me to tears.I love music, laughing & my house is filled with many sounds all day long, especially in summer. I worry about the silence that will come when my kids are all gone & it's just me & my husband.I'm great at hearing how people "sound" when they talk to me. I'm big on "not what someone says but HOW (the tone) he/she says it. -
silverwhisper said on Jul 10, 2007....
sounds informs so much of what's around me, both in terms of what i hear and what i shut out. the random sound of traffic that i shut out as i drive; the music i listen to when i write and the train conversations taking place around me; the laughter of kids that makes always me smiles; even the sound of the wind in the trees...all of this is part of the complex sonic tapestry that surrounds me every moment. as i sit here thinking about it, it's extraordinary just how much we tend not to remember consciously.
ed -
Me-Myself&I said on Jul 10, 2007....
I love the sounds of nature, the waves coming into shore,the crickets,andthe tree frogs.Certain people's voices are calming to me. On the other hand, other voices turn me off. Soundsthat are to loud makes me nervous.City sounds gets me all bented out of shape.I listen to ALL kinds of music, can't live without it! -
wombat said on Jul 10, 2007....
Interesting what you said about people who like the blues, jazz, classical and folk.. that describes me. I can't tolerate too many noises at once--people talking, radio blaring, trying to concentrate, the phone ringing....too much commotion. But then again, I can relax and blast the music when I am in the right mood--needing the universe to shout at me! -
Lioness said on Jul 10, 2007....
Mellow music does something wonderful to me personally, I feel good and better. But there are times when I get really irritated, most especially when it is too loud or noisy for my taste.
I also prefer sounds of nature, such as water falls, sea waves, frogs croaking, falling rain..
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beyondtheveil said on Jul 11, 2007....
unique- That love/hate relationship is probably well known by many. Take kids for instance. People will tell you they love the sounds of their children, then the next day say they are driving them crazy. We do take the bad with the good, don't we?
secret- Your third sentence was a fascinating thought I wish I'd thought of to add to this post. A story written for those two sides of the coin would be a very interesting post all by itself. And your desire for quiet time with age- as much as I love some sound, I've always yearned for times of quiet and silence. Silence has a beautiful sound of it's own. Its the sounds you don't hear at other times and the sound of your thoughts.
By the way, I saw that comment of yours about me on minniemouse' blog, "it sounds like he's always on the defensive". Does this mean its time for another blonde joke? (sharpens claws)
ladyofspirit- You mentioning your son at the piano reminded me of when my youngest was taking lessons and played "fur elise" at a recital. To this day that piece can do something to me nothing else can. I like intonation also, especially when a person, or better a child, is excited.
Ed- I like the "complex sonic tapestry", a beautiful way to describe the sounds of a typical day. Its like the large flow of information we receive and don't think of consciously, but is a large part of our daily life. I wonder how many bits of sound we hear in a twenty four hour period- staggering, I'm sure.
memyself- Music and nature. What could possibly be better than that for our well being? Of the unpleasant voices you mentioned, the ones that bother me most are salesmen on tv. City sounds bother you? Do you live in the country, or do you just have to close yourself off sometimes?
wombat- Isn't it strange commotion can be so bothersome, yet we can turn around and drown ourselves with music? I'm one that has to be in the right mood also. I can't listen to music over the din of something else. Music needs my sole attention or its going to be silence.
lioness- The one time I'll enjoy really loud music is at live performances. Years ago, I'd be on the hi-way and play it so loud the truck would vibrate. Can't do that anymore. I think we like the sounds of nature because they are some of the best music in disguise.
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Suddenrain said on Jul 11, 2007....
I think your mood affects how you relate to sounds around you. There can always be to much of a good thing. If you get tired of noise, imagine if you went deaf the rest of your life from that point on. You might be greatful to hear your worst enemies voice after five years of hearing nothing.
I love soft sounds myself. Brookwater, the ocean, the wind, soft music. I'm more of a quiet person I think. But I'm greatful I can hear, when I think of those who have lost their hearing. I imagine if you've never heard from birth, and by some miracle you finally do hear, would you not then miss the silence eventually?
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silverwhisper said on Jul 11, 2007....
[bows]
in retrospect, that's a combination of words i happen to like more now than when i first wrote 'em. :>
ed -
mobil said on Jul 11, 2007....
I have lost the higher pitched range of my hearing from shooting, can't hear
some crickets, things like that. As SL brought up, the deaf are interesting in that
they don't really care that they can't hear. Yet, if given the chance they become
excited by the experience. Helen Keller said if she had to be without one sense
she would remain blind, but would want to hear. I think that says allot for hearing
and the impact it has on our lives. The emotional side of hearing is tremendous
and most have no idea how their lives would be impacted were their hearing
to go away........thanks Beyond, great post.
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secretlife said on Jul 11, 2007....
you're very brave beyond.....lol or very foolish!!!!
you do blonde jokes, and i'm gonna have to resort to male jokes!!!
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destinydiva said on Jul 11, 2007....
I love the sound of my children giggling....that really happy contagious fits of laughter giggles .....
I have recently discovered the sounds of nature....seriously!! 29years and I never noticed it before now.
My back garden this time of year, early in the evening is such a peaceful amazeing place, you can hear the birds saying goodnight....no traffic sounds..... just the blowing breeze, and the sounds of nature. I wish I had appreciated this years ago.... I move house next week, and I still have a nice garden in the new house but not even close to the tranquility of this place......I'll miss it :-)
Destiny x
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beyondtheveil said on Jul 11, 2007....
suddenrain- I liked your comment. Mood, relating, loss, and quiet. I'm also more of a quiet person, not a loner, but need and enjoy being alone at regular times. It helps me sort out my life.
Ed- Its pure poetry to anyones ears. I'd find a place for it.
mobil- I have also lost some hearing to shooting, not to mention a hundred rock concerts. And to think of the emotional loss if hearing were lost- I can hardly imagine.
secret- Foolish, I'm sure. And you know what? Part of me wants to hear the male jokes, realizing of course that none could possibly apply to me.
destiny- On the sounds of nature, is that because you were never in it, quiet and alone? Or you didn't stop to listen? One thing I know for sure, now that you've found it, you won't let it go.
Your children's giggle fits are a beautiful part of life.
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destinydiva said on Jul 11, 2007....
I wont ever let go you are right.... why I didnt notice the sounds of nature before...I guess I only just woke up to life this year :-)
I didnt notice the tranquillity of my backgarden and the nature sounds from there because when my husband was here...it was never a peaceful, tranquil place.
The kids laughter.....yeah, I have the sound stored in my ears :-) but I love hearing it out loud over and over, its as addictable as this place :-)
Destiny x
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ginsbergdylan said on Jul 15, 2007....
Pretty long post. To be, honest I did not read it. At all. But you seem to have a way with the readers, the ladies, the computers. Can we please be a Friends? -
beyondtheveil said on Jul 16, 2007....
Hey, I read your post. Sounds to me like you're the one with personality.
I'll just sit back and learn from you.
Friend.
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muckpar said on Aug 09, 2007....
I have lived close to an airport's take off and landing runways for 23 years, I am moving in September and will never live close to one again.