Essay 6 - Attention and Meaning: Why a Sound Sometimes Becomes Increasingly Emphasizing
- Art of Hearing | Dyon Scheijen
- Jun 28
- 4 min read
LFG Handbook
Essay 6
Attention and meaning: why a sound sometimes becomes increasingly emphatic
Imagine you are sitting in a room with a clock on the wall. The clock has been ticking the whole time, but usually you hardly notice it. The sound fades into the background of your perception, as it were.
But as soon as someone asks you, “Do you hear that clock ticking?” something changes. Suddenly, the sound seems much more clearly present. It may even be that you find it difficult to ignore it afterwards.
The sound itself has not changed.
What has changed is the attention the brain gives to it .
This simple example shows how strongly attention can determine what we hear and how we experience sound.
The brain as a selection system
The human brain is constantly flooded with sensory information. Sounds, images, smells, and physical sensations continuously reach the nervous system. To prevent this stream of information from becoming overwhelming, the brain possesses powerful filtering systems.
These systems determine which stimuli come to the foreground and which fade into the background.
In many situations, this process works automatically. The sound of traffic, ventilation, or a refrigerator can be present without us consciously paying attention to it.
However, when a sound is perceived as special, unexpected, or potentially important, the brain may focus attention on it more strongly.
Attention and sound perception
Attention has a direct influence on how sound is perceived.
When attention is focused on a sound, various processes can occur:
• the sound is perceived more clearly
• it seems louder or more prominent
• it remains present in perception longer
• it repeatedly draws attention
This means that the experience of sound can change without the sound itself changing .
This mechanism has been extensively described in research on tinnitus and auditory perception (Jastreboff, 1990).
The role of interpretation
In addition to attention, interpretation also plays an important role.
The brain constantly tries to give meaning to sensory signals. When a sound has a clear and recognizable source, the brain can usually quickly classify the signal and let it fade into the background.
However, when a sound is difficult to explain, the brain can continue to follow the signal.
Questions that the brain then asks, as it were, are for example:
• Where is this sound coming from?
• Why am I hearing it?
• Is it normal that this is here?
• Can it be harmful?
If there is no clear answer to these questions, the sound can continue to attract attention.
The influence of uncertainty
Uncertainty can reinforce this process.
When people do not know where a sound is coming from or when it will occur, the brain can become extra alert to the signal. This can lead to a situation where the sound is noticed repeatedly.
The fear-avoidance model describes how attention, uncertainty, and tension can reinforce each other (Vlaeyen & Linton, 2000).
Research into tinnitus shows that such processes can also play a role in how sound is perceived (Cima et al., 2012).
A vicious circle of attention
When attention and insecurity come together, a vicious circle can develop.
The process might look like this, for example:
sound → attention → interpretation → tension → more attention
As a result, a sound can become increasingly prominent in perception.
This does not mean that the sound is caused exclusively by attention. It does mean, however, that attention can play an important role in how strongly the sound is perceived.
Significance for low-frequency sound
This mechanism can sometimes become visible in reports of low-frequency noise.
When a sound is difficult to localize and the source remains unclear, the brain may be inclined to continue monitoring the signal.
As a result, the sound may seem increasingly prominent to some people.
This underscores once again that sound perception depends not only on the physical signal, but also on how the brain and the human context handle it.
Place within The Hearing Triptych
Within the model of The Hearing Triptych (Scheijen, 2026), this process is situated at the intersection of two dimensions.
The brain determines how sound signals are processed.
The human experience determines what meaning the sound takes on within someone's life.
When attention and meaning change, the experience of sound can also change.
To the next step
When attention, meaning, and uncertainty play a role in sound perception, a new question arises.
Why does a sound cause relatively little disturbance to one person, while it can lead to tension, fatigue, or sleep problems for another?
To better understand this question, it is necessary to also look at the broader context of a person's life and resilience .
In the following essay, therefore, a model is introduced that can help to provide insight into this context: The Glass of Life's Acceptance .
Literature
Jastreboff, P. J. (1990). Phantom auditory perception (tinnitus): mechanisms of generation and perception. Neuroscience Research.
Cima, RFF, et al. (2012). Specialized treatment based on cognitive behavioral therapy versus usual care for tinnitus. The Lancet.
Vlaeyen, JWS, & Linton, SJ (2000). Fear-avoidance and its consequences in chronic pain. Pain.
Scheijen, D. (2026). The Hearing Triptych: Sound, Brain and Human Experience.
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