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Noise pollution hurts the heart

theatlantic.com

221–230 of 286 posts

Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart

#221

I feel the sound -> stress connection palpably. Especially sudden loud noises like a horn honking cause me to feel upset for a long while after being startled. Seems like a convincing argument to me for car-free spaces, although honestly I just wish we had stronger social norms against unnecessarily using a car's horn.

I have this wild pet idea that we should be have a meter connected to a car's horn and at the end of the year you have to pay a bill for the amount you used. Something like $0.10 / second. You'll still honk when you need to but think twice before using it to annoy other drivers.

The unintended consequences of this are clearly bad, but is there a less invasive approach? Are horns actually a required security item? If so, how can we prevent overuse?

Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart

#222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've lived through all the spectrum of apartments from modest to exclusive and luxurious. One thing does not imply the other, it's a matter of luck + how (un)civilized are the people surrounding you.

You've obviously never lived in a penthouse or a private residence on a 20 acre property. Noise pollution is not an issue in those situations.

You're right, haven't experienced anything beyond 10M. I guess at the very top you don't have these issues at all.

Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart

#223
post #71

I've been suffering from tinnitus and hyperacusis for over three years. It led me to read a bit about hearing in general, and more and more studies show that most of the hearing loss we experience as we grow old is nothing natural but the result of the years of abuse we inflict upon our ears in our everyday lives ( https://www.jneurosci.org/content/40/33/6357 ). Even though my situation is specific, this article does…

> hyperacusis

TIL. Thanks.

Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart

#224
post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was interesting for me, too. At the end of 2017 I moved into a new apartment, with a great view on a very busy road. I immediately felt much more "off". Maybe stressed in a way, but since I'm not usually the stressed kind, I had a hard time identifying the feeling. At around the same time, the AC in the office developed a constant hum. This drove me nuts. When I went to my parents' house in the suburbs, I could…

Ear plugs are and one of the greatest inventions of humanity :-) No joking: I use to work, sleep, public transport, and every time I want some piece of mind.

I've always thought of ear plugs as the quintessentially American solution to the problem. Here we have people tragedying all over the commons, and the solution is for individuals to all individually purchase a mitigation for themselves, instead of attempting to prevent the problem in the first place. Same for water pollution. Problem: the water supply is polluted. Americanized solution: Everyone needs to buy filters for their tap or boil their water. Real solution: Regulation to prevent the pollution in the first place.

Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart

#225

I feel the sound -> stress connection palpably. Especially sudden loud noises like a horn honking cause me to feel upset for a long while after being startled. Seems like a convincing argument to me for car-free spaces, although honestly I just wish we had stronger social norms against unnecessarily using a car's horn.

I wonder if ear plugs help at all. My partner snores so I wear them at night. Even then, sometimes I get woken up by the low frequencies of large trucks idling (snow removal operations, mostly). The vibrations are not even felt in my ears but through my entire body.

This is my issue too. Earplugs don't help for idling trucks, or subwoofers. Nothing I've found does.

Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart

#226
post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you talked to your neighbor? It could be as simple as a lack of awareness on their part.

The problem with annoying neighbours is that they lack the common decency to comply. By definition, if they had the required decency then they wouldn't become annoying in the first place. The general advice always seems to be to talk to your neighbour about the problem but, in my experience, this never works and is more likely to aggravate an already testy relationship. Thus far, until 'being annoying' becomes an acc…

[deleted]

Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart

#227
post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

leaf blowers are such a pox on neighborhoods. we really need to find an alternative. is it possible to make an electric leaf blower that is both powerful and quiet? or forget the leaf blower altogether and pay kids to rake up leaves instead. make it the new paper route. $N per bag.

Yes, some cities actually ban non-electric leaf blowers. It’s possible to make them powerful and quiet or powerful and loud. It’s just a matter of cost and will. It probably doesn’t cost much more but no one has cared to do it.

I’d really like some more convincing, actually — do you know this to be true, or does it sound like something we ought to be able to do in 2021?

Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart

#228
I've had noise issues from apartments in cities for decades, a mix of being easily bothered by music and noise from other people, and people loving to play loud music at home. Most of my friends seem a lot less bothered, to the point that they can mostly ignore it.

Not sure if it's cultural, due to individual environmental conditions growing up, or biological. I'm starting to wonder if it's biological because I'm also a light sleeper.

Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart

#229
post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ear plugs are and one of the greatest inventions of humanity :-) No joking: I use to work, sleep, public transport, and every time I want some piece of mind.

I've always thought of ear plugs as the quintessentially American solution to the problem. Here we have people tragedying all over the commons, and the solution is for individuals to all individually purchase a mitigation for themselves, instead of attempting to prevent the problem in the first place. Same for water pollution. Problem: the water supply is polluted. Americanized solution: Everyone needs to buy filters…

It's worse - if someone has a loud party late at night or plays music loudly and you ask them to turn it down, you're the bad one for imposing and butting into someone's business.

Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart

#230

I've had noise issues from apartments in cities for decades, a mix of being easily bothered by music and noise from other people, and people loving to play loud music at home. Most of my friends seem a lot less bothered, to the point that they can mostly ignore it. Not sure if it's cultural, due to individual environmental conditions growing up, or biological. I'm starting to wonder if it's biological because I'm als…

Noise cancelling headphones are a godsend. Someone needs to design ones that can be comfortably worn while sleeping, though!
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