Notifications that vibrate on the phone screen, constant music in the background, podcast in the ears. Traffic, calls, continuous distractions. To this external noise is added the internal one: thoughts that run, concerns that overlap, mental lists that stretch without respite. In this continuous sensory overload, silence has become a rare good. But also a necessity.
In fact, more and more studies show that the therapeutic silenceunderstood as the quiet time chosen and cultivated with awareness, has profound and concrete effects on body and mind.
From the reduction of stress to improving memory, to the increase in creativity: quiet has a regenerating power that no longer goes unnoticed even to medicine.
Therapeutic silence: what really happens to the brain when we stop
We all know that the constant noise hurts. That silence, on the other hand, is a precious resource we forget it too often.
According to one research published on Brain, Structure and Functioneven just two hours a day of silence favor The growth of new nerve cells in the hippocampusthe area of the brain responsible for memory and learning. The study also showed how the lack of hearing stimuli is able to improve cognitive abilities; favoring reflection and concentration.
It almost seems like a paradox: when everything stops, something lights up inside.
The brain, in fact, does not stop working when we are silent. On the contrary, in these quiet situations the so -called is activated Default Mode Networka neural network involved in the processes of reflection, autobiographical memory and self -analysis that comes into operation in times of vigilant rest. In other words, it is that system that comes into play when we dream of eyes open, we remember something, we reflect on who we are.
It is no coincidence that many artists, writers and musicians, from Beethoven to Jk Rowling, from Haruki Murakami to Virginia Woolf, have often told how silence, even more than solitude, has been fundamental for their creative work. After all, to listen to something new, inside or outside of us, you have to do space first.
The effect of silence on physical health
Silence is not just an ally of the mind: It also has measurable effects on the body.
It proves one research of 2006, conducted by the professor of internal medicine at the University of Pavia, Luciano Bernardi, who has shown how short silent breaks, just two minutes, can have an effect more relaxing than simple listening to quiet music. This because Silence stimulates the parasimpatic nervous systemthe one that regulates the rest and recovery functions, promoting a state of deep relaxation and improving the quality of sleep. In addition, the reduction of systemic stress contributes to strengthen the immune systemimprove digestion and regulate inflammation.
Not surprisingly, many supplementary therapies today include real “baths of silence” or silent meditative practices to support physical recovery, also in clinical contexts.
In an era in which we often live on alert, Consciously choosing silence is an act of preventive medicine.
How to cultivate silence in daily life (without necessarily meditating)
Not everyone loves to meditate. Not everyone has time, desire or attitude for practices that require structure and constancy. But the therapeutic silence It needs nothing, except for our intention.
It can start in a simple way: turning off the radio by car, leaving the phone in the next room while cooking, making a break between two meetings without grabbing the phone.
It can be a moment of voluntary void: It takes 5-10 minutes a day in which not to receive inputs to trigger a tangible change. No music, no podcasts, no newspaper in the background. Only the sound of the world as it is (or of the room in which you find yourself).
To achieve this, you can create a dedicated space. Not a physical space, but a mental one. A space in which You are not obliged to reactrespond, demonstrate. Where you can simply be. An armchair, a corner of the balcony, a point of the house where you can stop and simply listen.
It is good to get used to do not fill any emptinesseven in dialogues or chats. Staying a few seconds in silence before responding or taking a break between one call and another, it is not waste of time: it is mental hygiene.
And if at the beginning it may seem difficult, because silence sometimes brings out what we prefer to avoid, learning to remain silent can turn into a gesture of deep personal care. A training in presence, to lucidity, to kindness.
Is Silence Golden? Effects of auditory stimuli and their apsence on adult hippocampal neurogenesisBrain, Structure and Function
Waiting, Thinking, and feeling: Variations in the perception of time during silenceFrontiers in Psychology
20 Years of the Default Mode Network: A Review and SynthesisNeuron
Noise Pollution: Non-Auditory Effects on HealthBritish Medical Bulletin
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
