Our lives are hectic. There’s a swirling, noisy cacophony around
us, seemingly without end, and the importance of seeking out
some restful quiet can’t be understated. Still, be careful that
your search doesn’t take you to Orfield Labs in Minneapolis,
home to the world’s quietest space. While a normal room in
silence has a sound level at about 30 decibels, this particular
room sits at negative 9 decibels, a Guinness-approved world
record. Scientists at Orfield Labs—which uses the room to test
fractional sounds for products like car dashboard switches—have
also researched how people react to the noiselessness. The
room’s total sound-absorbency actually lets you hear your own
insides in action: your heart beating, your lungs inflating,
even your eardrums vibrating. Not surprisingly, this can be a
little much to take, especially if the room is dark.
Hallucinations are common. The longest anyone’s been able to
stay in the chamber? 45 minutes. It turns out that an
overwhelming volume of nothingness drives us insane