The Effects of Sound and Noise

This document serves as a general outline of the current research that Tribal Thunder bases its work on.

Sound is the result of any vibration whether it is periodic or random in other words structured or unstructured.

Noise is any sound that is undesirable or can produce biological dissonance in an organism.

Sound is a very powerful force and has the power to enhance our lives or literally ruin them. Sounds that are not always audible also have a tremendous effect on the body and mind as well. It is important at this point to stress that although the mind can adjust to various levels of noise the body is still affected by the vibrations that are generated by the sound.

In a study by Professor R. Murray Schaffer students were asked to remain quiet for a few minutes then hum or sing the first note that came to them. Students in Canada and the U.S.A. hummed the note B natural, but students tested in Germany and Europe hummed a G sharp. The reason is that In Canada our alternating electrical current is 60 cycles per second which resonates to a B natural, but in Europe the alternating current is only 50 cycles per second which resonates to a G sharp. It was thus demonstrated that subconsciously we are being entrained to biologically unnatural frequencies.

• Sound is measured in Decibels (named after Alexander Graham Bell) and is the "pressure" a sound creates. The higher the decibel level, the louder the sound. There are two basic types of decibel meters the "A" type is the auditory type and is biased to low frequency sounds of the human ear. This is indicated with an A. 1 dBA. is the quietest sound detectable by the average person. The other is the sound level meter and measures the physical characteristics of sound, measured in decibels (dB).

• 60% of college freshman tested, demonstrated hearing loss in the high-frequency range caused by excessive and/or prolonged exposure to high levels of noise. Most were found to have the hearing capabilities of people between the ages of 60 – 69.

Credits:

Document compiled by Oscar De Los Santos/Tribal Thunder.

The book “Sound Health: The Music and Sounds That Make Us Whole” by Steven Halpern with Louis Savary was used as a research tool for this document.