Buzz
The internet is packed with “facts” that will undoubtedly leave you amazed, and with social media becoming ever more prevalent, these jaw-dropping revelations are now just a tap away. Yet, with platforms like TikTok and Vine, we only catch brief glimpses, and the skeptic in us begins to question how much of what we read is actually accurate.
This healthy skepticism is essential, and more often than not, we are here to clarify which so-called facts you’ve encountered might not be as they seem. But in this case, we're excited to share ten seemingly unbelievable sound-related facts that actually hold up.
10. Infrasound Hallucinations and Paranormal Experiences
Even the most rational among us may have a tale of something that defies explanation. These experiences vary for different people—some interpret them as spiritual moments, while others attribute them to common ghostly encounters. There are also those skeptics who, despite having witnessed a ghostly apparition, will go to great lengths to find a scientific rationale to dismiss what they've experienced.
These skeptics may seem like they're merely trying to convince themselves to rest easy at night, but there is scientific support behind their arguments. They claim that infrasound at around 19hz can trigger the fight or flight response, anxiety, chills, and even hallucinations.
Of course, this doesn’t prove that all ghostly encounters are caused by infrasound. However, studies have shown that at least some paranormal events have a scientific explanation. Vic Tandy, a professor at Coventry University in the UK, examined various haunted locations in his community and demonstrated that these sites contained areas with infrasound.
9. Your Brain Hates Silence
People react to sound in different ways. Some can't stand noisy neighbors, while others crank up the volume. Some need noise to fall asleep, while others constantly seek peace and quiet. Regardless of your preference, one thing is nearly universal: complete silence can be unsettling.
This happens because, even when you believe there’s total silence, there are still subtle ambient noises that you don't notice. Without the usual hum of your home and all the background sounds you're accustomed to, your brain becomes disoriented, thinking something is wrong. This sensation is most intense at the anechoic chamber in Orfield Laboratories, Minnesota, which is designed to eliminate all sound.
Many people claim to hear, or believe they hear, the sound of their internal organs functioning, and sound hallucinations are quite common as the brain tries to fill in the gaps. No one has yet been able to endure more than fifteen minutes in this excruciating soundless chamber due to the overwhelming discomfort caused by the complete absence of sound.
8. The Importance of Headphone Volume
It’s common for adults to caution children to lower their volume to avoid damaging their hearing. Most kids don’t take these warnings seriously, believing that if a product is available on the market, its volume must be safe. Sadly, that assumption is wrong, and hearing damage from headphones and earbuds is a growing concern.
While adults are also at risk, this issue is particularly prevalent among children and teenagers, leading to a rise in hearing loss among younger patients. Fortunately, there are simple solutions: The most crucial step is to reduce the volume and set a maximum limit. Noise-canceling headphones can help, and higher-quality products are beneficial, but ultimately, giving your ears a break is the best solution.
7. Castration and the Boys Choir
For those unfamiliar, the castrati were boys who underwent castration to preserve their high, feminine singing voices. This practice was designed to keep women out of choirs while maintaining a full group of singers. While this seems barbaric and absurd today, the gender divide was so pronounced that they believed it was the only way to achieve the vocal sound they desired.
This practice originated from ancient Greek and Roman traditions of using eunuch slaves, and by the time of the Byzantine Empire, it had evolved into a method of creating natural male sopranos. Today, we find it unthinkable to exclude women from church choirs, and we also view castrating children as both insane and immoral. One would hope this barbaric practice was abolished long ago, but the last known castrato, Alessandro Moreschi, passed away in 1924 and even recorded himself on a gramophone before his death.
6. Prisoners Tortured with… Pop Music
During the early years of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the United States faced heavy criticism for its treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, as well as in Iraq and Afghanistan. While many of the tortures were typical of what one might expect, some unusual methods were also employed. Notably, the CIA used American pop music as a form of torture for detainees.
Among the most frequently played ‘torture music’ were songs by Britney Spears, Metallica, and even Sesame Street. While this may not seem as severe as other forms of torture, experts argue that the purpose of using music is to make it more effective than physical pain. Music can induce feelings of humiliation, sensory overload, and moral discomfort, especially when it clashes with the detainee’s religious beliefs.
This method was especially effective on many prisoners because, due to their religious beliefs, the music they were forced to listen to was considered sinful. If that still doesn’t seem too harsh, just think back to the last time a younger relative subjected you to endless repeats of “Let It Go.”
5. A Tiny Insect with a Shockingly Loud Defense Mechanism
This insect, known as the lesser water boatman, has a name that doesn’t quite capture its most remarkable trait. Despite its unassuming title, this tiny aquatic creature can produce an astonishingly loud sound. It developed this ability to deter potential predators, as it lacks other means of self-defense.
So just how loud can this insect get? According to researchers who managed to get close enough without damaging their hearing, it can generate sounds as loud as 99 decibels. That’s roughly the same noise level as a newspaper printing press, an automatic belt sander, or a small woodworking shop—all from an insect smaller than a pea.
This remarkable sound-making ability makes it the loudest creature on earth in terms of mass—comparable to how a flea can jump higher than any other animal relative to its size. But it gets even crazier when you learn how the insect produces this deafening noise. To create a sound that could rival the clamor of a workshop, the lesser water boatman rubs the ridge of its penis against a ridge on its abdomen.
4. Where Are the Screams Coming From?
Human beings have long enjoyed telling frightening stories in the dark. It's a favorite pastime to see if we can scare one another, or even ourselves, using these stories to face our deepest fears. Many of these fears are primal, and the most enduring ones often center on the darkest corners of the woods and the creatures that may be hiding there. Ancient legends often recount the eerie sound of a woman or a child crying out in pain in the woods, only for the person who investigates to mysteriously vanish.
Luckily for those hoping to get some sleep tonight, it turns out that the screeching noises heard in the woods during mating season are actually made by female foxes. Their cry is so hauntingly similar to that of a child or woman being brutally tortured that even in the modern era, people still get spooked by these unsettling calls. Not long ago, in Howard County, Maryland, authorities had to reassure residents that the disturbing screams they heard were not from supernatural creatures or tormented children, but from sneaky foxes during their mating season.
3. The Loudest Sound on Earth
In 1883, the eruption of Krakatoa, a colossal volcano in the Indonesian Archipelago, produced a blast so deafening that it was heard 1,930 miles (3,110 kilometers) away in Perth, Australia, and 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) away in Rodrigues, an island off the coast of Mauritius. To put it into perspective, the sound was so powerful that if it had occurred in New York, it would have been heard all the way from Mount St. Helens in Washington State.
The eruption's sound was estimated to be a staggering 182 decibels, though it was measured at 172 decibels 100 miles (161 kilometers) from the eruption site. While there are no audio recordings of the blast, as recording technology was still in its infancy, accounts from those who heard it give us a sense of its immense power. Witnesses described it as sounding like the distant rumble of heavy artillery.
Thankfully, the advent of the telegraph allowed people to confirm that the eruption wasn’t the start of a war. However, the impact of the blast didn’t end there. The sound wave, which is believed to be the loudest sound ever recorded, traveled around the globe four times, causing tsunamis as far as South Africa, choking the skies with ash, and contributing to worldwide famines.
2. A Voice to Break Glass
We've all seen this scene in cartoons or comedies—a voluptuous opera singer hits higher and higher notes until, suddenly, the glass she’s holding shatters in her hand. In some comedic versions, other people’s glasses or even windows are smashed in the process. While many view this as a humorous exaggeration, most dismiss the idea of using your voice to break glass as pure fantasy. And who could blame them? The very thought seems to defy logic and disrupt the security we feel in the world around us.
But, contrary to what some might believe, it is indeed possible to break a wine glass with your voice. Mythbusters, along with other researchers, have conducted experiments that prove it can be done. With the right pitch, volume, and resonant frequency, you can shatter a wine glass without any external amplification.
However, the fewer tiny imperfections your wine glass has, the more difficult it becomes to break it with sound alone. Trying to destroy anything tougher will certainly require the use of amplification.
1. Plants Respond to Classical Music
For many people, the idea of talking to plants or playing music for them may seem a bit strange, and doing so even more so. In J.R.R. Tolkien's *The Lord of the Rings*, elves awakened trees and taught them to speak, but that is pure fantasy. Most would argue that plants have no awareness and that speaking to them, or playing music for them, is ridiculous. Yet, before dismissing this notion outright, it turns out that two-thirds of gardeners believe that playing music for their plants actually has a positive effect.
While some may start doubting their own sanity, the truth is that science actually supports their belief. The Mythbusters, along with other reputable researchers, have tested these claims and found that those who play music for their plants are onto something. They discovered that the stomata of plants remain open longer when classical music is played. This is significant because the stomata, found in nearly all plants, are essential for absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen.
