Dr. Kurt Fristrup made waves when he warned of a “deaf generation” at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science this year. Fristrup has monitored noise levels in America’s national parks, and he’s concerned that today’s young people are missing out on the sounds of nature.
What Is Causing the Deaf Generation?
Urban living is brimming with environmental noise, from blaring horns to the cacophony of construction sounds. Too many people retreat from the noisy intrusion by wearing headphones and listening to music or wearing noise-cancelling headphones that create a calming silence.
Modern digital behavior also means people are plugged into smartphones and mobile devices that obscure the noise around them. This is causing people to become deaf to the sounds in their environment.
Why It Matters
Dr. Fristrup is concerned on two levels: It’s potentially dangerous, and it’s causing people to miss the beautiful sounds in nature. When people tune out environmental sounds, they miss crucial information about the world around them, such as the sound of approaching traffic.
“There will be the occasional cue that really matters—for runners I worry about this,” he said.
The more lasting damage, however, may be the inability of the “deaf generation” to appreciate the calming sounds in the natural environment. Dr. Marc Berman, University of Michigan researcher, and his colleagues discovered that cognitive ability improved by 20 percent after people walked through a park and enjoyed the sounds of nature. Another study revealed that listening to natural sounds speeds up recovery from psychological stress.
According to Fristrup, “What I really worry about is when that generation of visitors comes to national parks they just may not be able to reach out with their ears and experience everything there is.”
Fristrup theorizes that human evolution explains why natural sounds have a healing effect: “I suspect there’s something about these (natural) soundscapes that reminds our ancestral brains of a place that is safe.”
Can a “Deaf Generation” Be Prevented?
The trend toward urban living continues; according to the Census Bureau, the number of city dwellers in the United States increased over 12 percent in the last decade. In fact, Generation Y, or those under 30, overwhelmingly prefers an urban lifestyle according to a recent study. However, there is no denying that life in the city is far noisier and more chaotic than suburban or rural settings.
Urban residents can take steps to protect themselves from becoming part of the “deaf generation.” Some experts recommend setting aside an hour or two each week to immerse themselves in a natural environment, paying special attention to bird songs or the burbling sounds of running water.
Others recommend leaving the headphones at home at least once a week. On the other side of the coin, makers of industrial noise control can invest in soundproofing to help eliminate the noises that take away from nature.
Dr. Fristrup’s recommendation is even simpler. “My biggest advice would be to go to your protected areas and experience what you might be missing,” he said. An hour in a quiet city park or an afternoon hike through a nature preserve may be the greatest protection against becoming part of the “deaf generation.”
Source:
http://dirt.asla.org/2011/09/08/research-shows-nature-helps-with-stress/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872309/
http://www.citylab.com/housing/2012/03/us-urban-population-what-does-urban-really-mean/1589/
http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/what_does_generation_y_want_walkability_and_city_life/7074
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