Essay 4 - From Tinnitus to Low-Frequency Sound
- Art of Hearing | Dyon Scheijen
- Apr 7
- 4 min read
When people describe their experience of sound, they rarely speak of frequencies or decibels. They speak of a hum, a pressure in the room, or a feeling that “something is present.”
For a long time, tinnitus was the best-known example of such an experience without a clear external source. But increasingly, we hear similar stories regarding low-frequency sound. Sometimes there is a measurement. Sometimes there isn't. And even when something is measured, that still doesn't explain why one person is barely bothered by it while another suffers severely.
That shows that sound is not only a physical phenomenon. It is also a human experience, shaped by the brain, attention, and meaning.
Where Art Meets Science
The Hearing Triptych
Sound · Brain · Human Experience
Essay 4
From Tinnitus to Low-Frequency Sound
Why the experience of sound cannot be explained by physics alone
When people experience nuisance from low-frequency sound, the discussion often focuses almost immediately on measurements.
Frequencies.
Sound spectra.
Decibels.
That is understandable. Low-frequency sound is a physical phenomenon, and acoustic analysis is essential to identify sources and determine sound levels (Leventhall, 2004).
However, in practice, tension often arises.
Sometimes people experience severe nuisance, while measurements show relatively low noise levels. In other situations, comparable levels are measured without residents reporting significant nuisance.
This discrepancy regularly leads to frustration, both among residents and professionals.
The question that then arises is the same question that is central to tinnitus as well:
Where does the experience of sound originate?
The limitations of measuring
Acoustic measurements are indispensable.
They provide insight into the physical properties of sound and make it possible to identify sources and establish standards.
But measurements describe only one dimension of sound: the physical stimulus.
They do not automatically tell us how a human experiences that sound.
We see this discrepancy between measurement and experience in much research into noise nuisance. The relationship between noise level and perceived nuisance often proves to be only partially explainable by the noise level itself (Basner et al., 2014).
Technically, a sound can be loud and yet be perceived as pleasant. Think of rain on a roof during a vacation, or the sound of the sea.
Conversely, a relatively soft sound can become very disturbing when the brain marks it as important or threatening.
The role of the brain
As discussed earlier, the brain plays a central role in the perception of sound.
The brain constantly filters sensory information and determines which stimuli deserve attention.
This process of selection and prioritization is often described in neuroscience by the concept of salience (Menon, 2015; Uddin, 2015).
When a sound acquires high salience, it remains present in the attention.
It can then struggle to fade into the background, even when the physical signal is relatively weak.
This mechanism can also play a role in the experience of low-frequency sound.
A sound that is initially barely noticed can become increasingly prominent in consciousness when the brain marks it as relevant or disturbing.
The human context
In addition to sound and the brain, the human context also plays an important role.
Sleep deprivation, stress, uncertainty about the source of a sound, and feelings of loss of control can all contribute to how sound is experienced.
Research into chronic complaints often describes how attention, interpretation, and avoidance behavior can intensify experienced suffering (Vlaeyen & Linton, 2000).
A similar mechanism can also occur with noise pollution.
When someone feels they have no influence on a sound in their living environment, this can intensify their attention to the sound.
The sound then becomes not only an auditory stimulus, but also a source of tension.
The triptych of hearing
When we apply insights from tinnitus research to low-frequency sound, the image of a triptych emerges once again.
Sound
the physical stimulus that is perceived by the auditory system.
Brain
the neural systems that determine which stimuli receive attention.
Man
the context in which sound acquires meaning.
These three dimensions together determine how sound is ultimately experienced.
None of these dimensions can fully explain the phenomenon.
But together, they offer a more complete perspective.
An invitation to collaborate
The discussion about low-frequency sound shows how complex the relationship between sound and human experience can be.
Acousticians, neuroscientists, doctors, and psychologists often approach the problem from the perspective of their own discipline.
But perhaps the experience of sound calls precisely for an approach in which these perspectives converge.
Not because one discipline falls short, but because the phenomenon itself has multiple dimensions.
Where Art Meets Science
In art, a triptych is used to tell a story from multiple perspectives.
No single panel stands alone.
Only when all panels become visible does meaning emerge.
Perhaps this image can also help to better understand the experience of sound.
Not only as a physical signal.
Not only as neural activity.
But as an encounter between sound, brain, and human.
Literature
Basner, M. et al. (2014).
Auditory and non-auditory effects of noise on health. The Lancet.
Leventhall, G. (2004).
Low frequency noise and annoyance. Noise & Health.
Menon, V. (2015).
Salience Network. Annual Review of Neuroscience.
Uddin, LQ (2015).
Salience processing and insular cortical function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
Vlaeyen, JWS, & Linton, SJ (2000).
Fear-avoidance and its consequences in chronic pain. Pain.
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