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.
Noise pollution hurts the heart
221–230 of 286 posts
Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart
#222Earlier 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.
Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart
#223I'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…
TIL. Thanks.
Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart
#224Earlier 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.
Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart
#225I 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.
Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart
#226Earlier 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…
Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart
#227Earlier 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.
Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart
#228Not 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
#229Earlier 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…
Re: Noise pollution hurts the heart
#230I'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…