Scientists have proven that people can really hear silence: how it works

Since the time of Aristotle, scientists and philosophers have debated whether silence can be heard. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University conducted a series of experiments to find the answer using the "one-more" illusion, which makes listeners' brains think that two separate sounds are shorter than one sound, when in fact the total time is the same.

Read also: Scientists have named a strange but effective way to lose weight

During the experiment, they replaced the sounds with silence and found that the illusion still worked. One continuous silence is perceived as longer than two separate silences, even though they have the same duration.

Researchers argue that we hear silence, not just assume its existence. The effect of silence is processed in the same way as sound. This helps to expand our understanding of how our hearing works.

Researchers are planning further studies to understand how we perceive silence if it is completely separated from sound. It also opens up the question of whether there is perfect silence and how it can be useful in treating hearing problems.

This study confirms that silence is essential for the perception of sounds and helps us to understand that we hear the absence of sound.

As a reminder, scientists have answered which asteroids can destroy the Earth and when it might happen.

If you want to get the latest news about the war and events in Ukraine, subscribe to our Telegram channel!