What stops people thinking?
Is the inner voice being silenced?
This is the third of a short series of articles adressing the subject of our consciousness. The first explored the finding that up to 70% of us do not have an inner monologue. The second investigated the importance of the flow state for creativity, imagination and confidence. It also touched upon how modern life and technology impedes such concentration and its subsequent benefits. This is a theme that will be explored more fully here.
In order to be of creative or independent mind we must first be able to access our own thoughts. Modern public life impinges upon the inner voice in many ways. We are visually confronted by advertisements placed on trade vehicles, buses, billboards, shops and screens. Our hearing is assailed by the noise of city life -traffic, radios, and public transport announcements that demand vigilance of unseen threats from pickpockets to terrorism, and even the weather. Many of these media are utilised to condition our minds and responses. This was made abundantly clear by the state propaganda bombardment of 2020, which was simultaneously reinforced by dehumanising facemasks that muffled communication and muzzled expressions of dissent. There were even reports of ambulances using sirens unnecessarily and more loudly.
In comparison,
“Silence may help decrease stress levels by lowering cortisol adrenaline levels. A 2006 study found that just 2 minutes of silence can be more calming than listening to relaxing music. This was attributed to changes in blood pressure and blood circulation to the brain.”
Yet when we do have a degree of control over our environment we often turn to the addictive stimulation of passive entertainment that is offered by the television or the internet. This habit was reinforced by the isolation of lockdown. Where once people awakened to the newspaper or radio, now our sleepy heads are filled by the telephone and the tablet. Workplaces are flooded with constant corporate music -even those in which concentration is necessary for writing or conversation. Pubs and nightclubs provide music and multiple screens showing sports, news, and music videos, often with subtitles to ensure we don't miss any programming. We have to compete with outside forces to think, speak, hear and be heard. This sensory overload requires energy and time to process. What we are exposed to, like the best propaganda, enters our subconscious mind.
But just five minutes of silence not only reduces the stress response of the amygdala but it also releases serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin — known as happy hormones. This restores your well-being and your mind becomes calmer. With that, you can make better decisions as you process information with clarity and awareness.”
There is a cultural trope that the creative or exploring mind seeks divine inspiration. This seems to be illustrated in depictions of St. Matthew in which the mythological character of the muse is recast in the christian tradition as an angel. In Rembrandt's painting of the evangelist, Matthew seems unaware of the supernatural apparition whispering in his ear. It looks as though the writer's thoughts are being dictated without his knowing. For the modern mind such a visitation seems unlikely, but perhaps it would be harder to imagine still if Matthew had airpods in his ears whilst scrolling through videos on tiktok.
“Solitude and periods of silence allow your mind to wander, which is essential for 'incubation.'
Studies show that during incubation, there are unconscious processes taking place in the brain, …and it is during this stage that you come up with creative solutions. Daydreaming, taking a walk in nature and good sleep are all wonderful sources for incubation, thus boosting your creative potential.”
It seems that in order to achieve inspiration, we have to set conditions and make room to allow it in. It would appear that a key element of such an experience is silence. Yet in modern life this is increasingly rare. Prevailing trends seem designed to reduce our opportunities for silence and any ensuing introspection and insight -what in simpler times was considered a connection with the divine.
“Creativity is an enormous benefit of silence and stillness,” says author Maggie Dent in her book, “Saving Our Children From Our Chaotic World: Teaching Children the Magic of Silence and Stillness.”
Academic examinations and study in libraries are conducted in silence because it is a necessary condition for optimum intellectual performance. This is reflected in a 2021 study, that found that those who performed tasks requiring concentration experienced the least cognitive load and the lowest stress levels when working in silence.
Perhaps less well known are the dramatic effects of an absence of silence.
“A 2011 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) "found that in Western Europe alone the total burden of health effects from environmental noise was greater than one million years of healthy life lost collectively each year. This figure does not even include the impact of industrial noise pollution in workplaces."
As we hear when we sleep,"studies show that exposure to nocturnal sounds can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Long-term exposure to noise can lead to a variety of health issues including high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep problems, tinnitus, and cognitive impairment in children. Furthermore, noise also causes stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue in both humans and animals."
“Noise expert Bernie Krause says that the incessant sounds of modern day living are making people unhappy and driving them to take sleeping pills and antidepressants.”
In contrast a 2013 study of mice, “found that two hours of silence per day prompted greater healthy brain cell growth in the hippocampus – an area of the brain responsible for memory formation, learning, motivation and regulation of emotional responses.”
Although that has not been replicated with people,
“A 2014 study on patients with amnesia showed that a ten-minute rest in a quiet darkened room boosted recall from 14 to 49 per cent. The study also found similar results for healthy participants boosting memory recall from ten to 30 per cent.”
A friend mentioned that it is possible for him to be transported from his home to his workplace so that his feet barely have to touch the ground. Similarly there are people who spend every waking moment with modern technology between themselves and their thoughts.
For those of us who have an inner monologue and are capable of critical thought, what use is it if outside noise drowns out our thoughts? What use is the potential of the flow state and its apparent aid to developing a more complex and contented self if it is never attained because of constant distractions? In recent years people have lamented an apparent inability to think critically or logically among the wider public. Perhaps in many cases the voice of reason does not have a chance to be heard.
This is the third in a series of related articles
The first is Non-Player Characters
The second is: Is Creativity Under Attack?
Even though I am an 'ex practising catholic', I see that some good came from that time. Many of the priest's believed in quite prayer, getting away from the buzz of life even if it was sitting alone in the church gathering thoughts. At the time I felt this to be very beneficial, as ultimately my thought formation became very different and realised there was something very wrong in the world (many priest's I encountered were uncovered as pedofiles too). This lead my wife to become concerned, as I went down many rabbit holes through my adult life (and have done ever since), she arranged a meeting with our priest which I begrudgingly went to alone. I explained to the priest I thought there was a cabal running the world (bearing in mind this was over 10 years ago), he would not accept any conspiracy was plausible, given this priest continually said God had lifted the veil from him ( through his quiet meditative state ), of a belief in good an evil and thus took up his vocation. Clearly this man was deceived by the very organisation he worked for and his quite prayer encased his thoughts instead of opening his mind.
Point is, at least one of us came out of the other side with a perspective more relevant in our day and age and I realised we who have intense, provocative, good thoughts are more spiritual than the ones with a certified name behind them.
Thank you Francis my friend, for sharing your inner voice as it helps uncover mine.
This relates very well to a piece I wrote on the value of silence. Blaise Pascal said all of humanity's problems could be solved if we spent time in silence in a room alone.