The Sound Of Silence

“Since the days of Aristotle, scientists and philosophers have debated whether silence is ever 'heard'. A new series of experiments by researchers from Johns Hopkins University in the US may just have settled the issue. The research made clever use of a well-known trick called the one-is-more illusion, which fools the brains of listeners into thinking two discrete sounds are shorter than one single sound, even though in reality the total time is the same. Replacing sounds with silence, the team found that the illusion still worked. You can try it out for yourself. A single continuous silence is perceived as being longer than two separate silences, despite them actually being the same duration overall. "Silence, whatever it is, is not a sound – it's the absence of sound," says Rui Zhe Goh, a graduate student in philosophy and psychology from Johns Hopkins University. "Surprisingly, what our work suggests is that nothing is also something you can hear." The researchers posit that because we're reacting to silence in the same way as sound in these tricks, we're truly hearing that silence – not just inferring that it's there. It seems as though Simon & Garfunkel were on to something.”*

I may not be smart enough to weigh in on the discussion of the sound of silence but I can use the Scriptures to affirm the value of silence in some situations. The author of Ecclesiastes tells us that there is “...a time to be silent and a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:7).  Later, we are warned to “...not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2). We learn from Proverbs that “when there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19; cf. James 1.19).

Silence may not be silent but it can be golden.

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.sciencealert.com/experiment-shows-humans-really-can-hear-silence-after-all?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email