How Long Could You Last in the World’s Quietest Room? The Record Is Only 45 Minutes
- Posted on April 5, 2012 at 1:29am by
Liz Klimas
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World's quietest room (Photo via Daily Mail)
With what seems like a constant need to chatter away on cellphones or listen to music with earbuds, a little quiet time may be in order. We’ve got the perfect place: the Guinness Book of World Records’s quietest room.
It’s so quiet the longest anyone has been able to stand it before beginning to go a bit batty was 45 minutes — to be fair, part of that challenge was to remain in the dark too. According to the Daily Mail, the “anechoic chamber” at Orfield Laboratories in South Minneapolis is 99.9 percent sound absorbing.
(Photo via Daily Mail)
The Daily Mail reports the room is made with 3.3-foot-thick fiberglass acoustic wedges with walls made of insulated steel and a foot of concrete. Founder and president of the lab, Steven Orfield, shared some of his thoughts about why individuals find it hard to last in the room for lengthy periods of time:
Steve Orfield (Photo: MPR/Tom Weber)
“When it’s quiet, ears will adapt. The quieter the room, the more things you hear. You’ll hear your heart beating, sometimes you can hear your lungs, hear your stomach gurgling loudly.
“In the anechoic chamber, you become the sound.”
And this is a very disorientating experience. Mr Orfield explained that it’s so disconcerting that sitting down is a must.
He said: “How you orient yourself is through sounds you hear when you walk. In the anechnoic chamber, you don’t have any cues. You take away the perceptual cues that allow you to balance and manoeuvre. If you’re in there for half an hour, you have to be in a chair.”
Because the chamber is so soundless, NASA has conducted tests on its astronauts in there to simulate what it would sound like in space. Orfield said manufacturers, like Harley Davidson and Whirlpool, have also used the chamber to test how loud their products are or to evaluate sound quality.
Here‘s some raw footage of a student’s acoustic class field trip to the chamber, which has held its designation as the world’s quietest room since 2004:
Minnesota Public Radio also featured the lab recently. Listen to that story here:
If Orfield can only last in the chamber for about 30 minutes, how long do you think you could stand the silence?
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Comments (149)
dw2947
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:53amThis is sensory deprivation. Only 45 minutes before someone starts going batty? That’s not long at all! I could last longer than that. And too, when your body is the focus of sound, such as heart beat or breath, most people would focus on these “sounds” which could result in hyperventilation or heart palpitations. If one were to employ the techniques of Yoga, for instance, focusing on control these bodily functions, a person would be able to last longer than 45 minutes!
Report Post »HuckleberryFriend
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 7:34amAt first I tended to agree with you on the basis that people don’t seem to be well versed in simple mindful meditation anymore but then I recalled that there was a sensory deprivation study where they did a combo of things on top of this:
1. Put people in the dark with no sound.
2. Had them float in water for a feeling of weightlessness
3. Had them wear sensory deprivation suits to eliminate tactile feeling.
And the results were quickly induced psychosis with full blown hallucinations. Basically, the human mind needs that physical feedback for some reason.
Report Post »little big man
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 7:58amMy wife who has very sensitive hearing would love this room she would live in it for days. how much money is this guy willing to bet????? my wife would lov lov lov this room.
Report Post »Ed_Kel
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 7:58am“…employ the techniques of yoga”
LOL
Excuse me while I employ the toilet.
Report Post »dw2947
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 7:59amI wonder if the mind can be trained to withstand a lack of sensory stimulation for a moderate period of time. Our culture today is one of sensory overload, the exact opposite. They did say it simulated space for the training of astronauts. The human mind, trained properly, must be able to withstand a certain amount of time with a lack of sensory perception. That to me would be the most difficult task, gauging the passage of time, and then of course the panic would set in that you would not be released for this state of nothingness.
Report Post »old white guy
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 8:45ami have been in a situation where it was quiet and still. i could hear my heart and even feel pulse points. i started to wonder what it would feel like if my heart stopped. it was unusual in that we/people usually don`t think about it. i am sure there are people who could control panic for quite a long time, i am not sure i would be one.
Report Post »Treaty
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 8:49amDW, that’s what I was thinking. I’m sure you could “train” and be able to stay in there longer. Not sure what the point would be though. Life is all about interaction with people and things and senses.
Report Post »Leslie Anne
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 8:59amI absolutely LOVE IT when it’s total silence. I experienced it twice in my life–one time up-north in the Northwoods of Wisconsin…and another time on an 80-acre farm I was renting. Both were days when there were bits of time without so much as a breeze. I could hear my heart beating, I could hear my blood swooshing inside…and the silence felt like a weight on me. You can actually feel the presence of silence. It was AWESOME, but then a breeze or bird, etc. would end up making a noise and pull me back into the present. I’d totally enjoy the sound-proof room–and I enjoy total darkness, as well…so that would be an added bonus :)
Report Post »GUT_CHECK
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 10:05amIF YOU GAVE ME ALL the money in the world, i could last in their for the rest of my life…
of course, i would have to have “my internet”
:-P
Report Post »AmazingGrace8
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 11:27am@leslie anne
I went to Baker, Mt. for a wedding in the 70′s (I am a Montana citizen) & walked out into a field, night time and it was the first time “0” noise I ever experienced. At first it was so strange to hear my heart-beat & then what was really noticeable was my ears seemed like I had gone deaf & felt like there was something plugging both of my ears. After awhile, it was pretty cool and comforting…I could last longer then the 45 min. This must be how deaf people accepts their condition…but pretty cool of the medical tech. of today. So glad Rush L. is able to have his hearing restored to a certain agree…and I am soooooooo happy Pumpkin is alive & well!
Report Post »iampraying4u
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 11:47amIf yoga is so good why is the God of the people of india a cow
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 1:00pmPitch black and zero sound I would sleep like a baby.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:50pmThe movie “Rocketman” comes to mind. That‘s what I’d be doing. :P
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:48pm@iampraying4u
“If yoga is so good why is the God of the people of india a cow”
1- India has 10‘s of 1000’s of Gods. In some places it’s the Monkey, in other places it’s the Sun.
2- Yoga has nothing to do with God. It’s for helping the mind connect with the Mind and heal or help the body. In India the body is not real; only the Spirit is real. Yet they believe the body can be a conduit to help the Spirit connect with one of their Gods.
Sounds strange but, they have been doing this for over 5000 years. In one village the local Priest died. He had walked around the village in a certain path everyday for decades. He died and then a deer showed up and started walking the same path every day. Well, in India, this could only mean one thing. The Priest was reincarnated into the deer. The deer was worshiped and fed until it died.
India is a weird place but, they have some really good Spiritual stories that fit almost any situation.
Please cut them some slack… after 250 years of British rule they are still a bit confused…
If you ever need (or want to hear) an ancient story from India just let me know.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:59pmThere is silence and then there is Silence.
This contraption duplicates silence but not Silence.
The Silence of the Mind is energetic and expanding.
The silence of this contraption is deafening and people can’t stand it for very long.
And yes, I’m waiting for the “Silence of the Lambs” jokes. : )
Report Post »Wyatt's Torch
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 8:59pm“sleep like a baby”?
Start crying and wet yourself?
Report Post »scott2012
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 10:32pmWhere I live, it’s so quiet I can hear the bubbles in my beer pop.
Report Post »Is this thing allowed by the Geneva Convention? Can we use it on
Al Qeada?
Patrick Henry II
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 11:23pmIt would be a great place for naps.
Report Post »grannyrecipe
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:53amEnjoy the silence-Depeche Mode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diT3FvDHMyo&ob=av3e
Report Post »MittensKittens
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 7:20amThat was a great song…on the other hand, the sound chamber is bunk, like much of what has been on the Blaze lately…I feel the Blaze will go the way of other “fads”…it’s starting to suck!
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 10:29amMitten, Have you ever been in such a room?
This is not the only one on a college campus; just the quietest.
These rooms are truly disconcerting. I would not willingly dispense with any of my sense.
Report Post »iono12345
Posted on April 7, 2012 at 6:54pmI would say there are many rooms like this on college campuses, deathly silence as professors push their agendas, then the silence of empty minds preparing for the ows rallies…lol
Report Post »EP46
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:52amI could last longer than obama could in a nation of We The People
Report Post »texasoysterman
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:50amGive me a good book, a big iced tea (and a bucket) and I could stay there for a few hours.
Report Post »9111315
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 7:10am? Glow in the dark text.
Lights out man.
Report Post »basenjilover
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 10:27amMake it a KINDLE with it’s built in library and light accessory & I’m set ’til my charge runs out!!!!
Report Post »mercenary4freedom
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 12:13pmI’d rather sit in the woods listening & observing the sounds of nature….
Must be a slow news day…
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:49am@BADDOGGY~~~ LOL. That was funny!
Report Post »w4rpedfr4me
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:45amWe had a room just like this one at a former employer (cell phone designer). I found the extreme quiet soothing and thought it would be a great place to nap. 45 minutes? Please. give me a pillow and I’ll break that record.
Report Post »Gary S
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 9:41amI agree. I worked for Bell Labs in Indianapolis where we had an rf and audio anechoic chamber. I loved working in there and another engineer used to take a snooze during lunch. This story is questionable.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:15amI think that room is creepy looking. I wouldn’t mind being in my own home OR on a “retreat of silence” which I have enjoyed for up to 10 days before. It is awesome being still and quiet with GOD. Silence certainly improves our ability to hear HIM.
Could the msm and the current interloper in our house in wdc, please just shut up? We the People could certainly use the quiet.
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:36amI ticked my wife off the other day and it was much quieter than that room. There was also an icy stare to go along with it…
Report Post »4xeverything
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:01amI hear the new “thing” to do is for “artists” to put silent tracks on their music CDs. Sounds about as interesting as this story.
Report Post »BehindBlueEyes
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:32amI’d like to see a group of people dancing to some of that silent music. It sounds like something liberals would embrace. They have active imaginations and are good at making something out of nothing.
Report Post »pwatkins
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:59amI have severe tinnitus in both ears so I have my own noise going on and I guarantee I could stay as long as they let me.
Report Post »TommyJH54
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 6:48amI hear ya! I mean, I know what you are saying. Never stops.
Report Post »pwatkins
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 11:52pmNo it sure doesn’t and if you or anyone ever hears of a true cure, please share…lol.!
Report Post »Crock
Posted on April 7, 2012 at 2:24pmMan, just reading the story set mine off! The more I think about it, the louder it gets. Gotta go watch some TV to get it under control again.
No such thing as a “cure,” sadly. Lots of quack remedies – I suspect if you complain about it not working, the company would say you just haven’t taken it for long enough yet so keep on buying more, lots, lots more.
BUT – whether you take some medicine-show remedy, or aural training, or biofeedback, or some sort of other expensive therapy,
– or if you do nothing at all —
your brain WILL eventually learn to stop processing the specific sounds of your tinnitus and you won’t hear it in a normal ambient environment (remarkable marvelous creation, the brain).
It took my own brain nearly a year to completely block all that noise. I’m acutely aware of it only when one of the tones changes in frequency or intensity or a new noise is added, and then only for a couple days before the new sounds are also blocked. Ah, blessed peace.
Of course, if you think about it (or read about tinnitus, like now), you’ll hear it. And for heaven’s sake stay out of “quiet” rooms if you value quiet and your sanity!
For us, there’s no longer any such thing as complete quiet. It is what it is. But hang in there if it’s still making you crazy. I absolutely promise you that quieter times are ahead.
Report Post »Rob
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:38amThe first time I took my wife camping in the desert, just the two of us with no other human around for probably fifty miles, two minutes after she got of the car she stopped with a surprised look and said, “I can hear myself breathing!”
Another time, I took my one year old son in for his hearing test. The testing place was in a large hospital. They had us sit in a sound proof room and the minute that door closed it was amazing how quiet it became…silent. I was completely unaware of the ambient sounds that had been around us before… the air conditioning, etc. I actually liked it.
Report Post »greatgrandma
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:33amSeems to me it would be a great place for Meditation.
Report Post »circleDwagons
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 8:41amseems like torture to me, God made sounds and gave man the ability to create music all kinds of music
Report Post »John_The_Beloved
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:32amThese kids are undisplined just by looking at them, I could do 2 hours easy. Singing, mediating, and reading Bible
Report Post »Chet Hempstead
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:48amWho are you going to mediate between if you are alone in a darkened room?
Report Post »spikebu
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 5:23amHave any of you ever heard nothing? I mean NO THING. Wrap your head in multiple layers of cotton kind of nothing. It’s not pleasant. 2 minutes are 20. We are so accustomed to the background noise of our lives. If it all shuts off, we are lost. Get used to it, people. The background noise is going to cease, permanently. Be prepared. Be ready.
Report Post »SubHuman
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 4:44amCan you make noises to beat the record? Is that allowed? Cause I can sing Johnny Cash tunes for 46 minutes. Easy.
Report Post »EP46
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 7:01amI hear that train a-coming…it’s coming ’round the bend !!!
Report Post »Karama
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 3:54amI would love this! I could actually sleep for a change. A pin dropping will wake me up I need a place like this.
Report Post »burnteye86
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 3:33amWasn’t that quiet. The guy wouldn’t stop talking through the whole video.
Report Post »VoteRightDammit
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 3:22amHeck – just lie down and go to sleep.
Eight hours later have a pizza and tell them whatever they want to hear … and walk away more refreshed than you have been in years.
Oh – and cash the check they gave you … RIGHT AWAY.
Done.
Report Post »godlovinmom
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 3:51amI was thinking the same thing…move a bed in there and I’ll have the record by morning.
Report Post »singingcowboy674
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 3:10amI wonder if they accept challenges…I would LOVE to give it a shot. I say I could stay in there at least an hour or better!
Report Post »spikebu
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 2:58amWe built an adobe shop with 20″ thick walls. The first time I entered it after the insulation had been applied in the rafters? I immediately stepped out. Felt like someone had stuffed cotton in my ears and stole my breath. It was like going under ground. Very disorienting.
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 2:27amPut a couch in that thing and I’d take the longest nap ever. It couldn’t be any worse than the sound chambers they use for testing hearing and I find those things to be simply amazing. I can hear myself breathe and I can even start to hear my pulse. But I don’t find it disconcerting, just different. The only hard part would be dealing with my tinnitus which never leaves me noise free.
Report Post »spikebu
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 3:21amhow about disorienting? The first time I walked into our completed shop, I got dizzy, short of breath. It was like a panic attack. I stepped out, I came back. I routinely enter the shop several times a day. That first time? It was like, being smothered. The cessation of all the noise and clamor, made me deaf. It‘s kinda freaky to suddenly hear none of the background noise you don’t even know you’re used to.
Report Post »marine249
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 2:13amI think the noise would be so loud that you could not sleep
Report Post »ConfederateMormon
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 1:45amI would get the best night sleep ever in there. I awake to the sound of someone walking on carpet past my room with the my door closed.
Report Post »Goohuman
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 1:43amShhh. I can hear the dept growing.
Report Post »SunnyinFL
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 7:49amNow that’s funny.
Report Post »TexBork
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 1:41amCan a deaf person stay in there longer?
Report Post »goahead.makemyday
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 8:08amif they suffer from being truly deaf as in unable to hear sound of course. There won’t be a difference for them. I say truly deaf because now a days people that are mute are considered deaf. While being deaf leads to being mute, being mute doesn’t lead to being deaf.
Report Post »DarthMims
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 11:50amThat was my first thought, Texbork. If the mind is so dependent on sound for orientation and sanity, why would deaf people not be roaming, raving lunatics? I think somebody just wanted to show off their new room.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 1:34amWhat no Introverted, only child, nerds in the State?
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