The Loudest and Quietest Places in the World
Are you someone who can't stand silence? Do you need music playing, the chatter of a busy home, the comforting soundscape of people or traffic or even static as background noise when you're awake?
Or do you enjoy the quiet? Does your brain and body function better when the only sounds are the ambient ones: the humming of appliances, fans blowing, the wind in the trees?
Learning about the loudest places in the world and the quietest places in the world presents an interesting spectrum. Obviously there are health risks involved when a person hears loud sounds, and protective gear such as headphones or earplugs are strongly recommended when visiting places with such sounds. But while the human ears are vulnerable to extreme noise, it's the human brain that struggles to endure extreme silence.
First, let's cover some of the loudest places on earth. There are many man-made noisy spaces, and they deserve at least a mentioning.
- A packed football stadium can hit 136 decibels.
- A Formula 1 cockpit reaches 140 decibels.
- The engine of a jet plane as it takes off hits 150 decibels (not that you would ever find yourself inside a running jet engine). Gun ranges reach 175 decibels.
Humans can and do create some incredibly loud sounds.
There are many cities across the globe that produce noises measuring up to 100 decibels--and it's important to note that 140 decibels, according to the World Health Organization, is the point at which acute damage to the inner ear can occur.
- Mumbai, India regularly measures at 100 decibels, thanks to the massive population, traffic, and frequent fireworks.
- Karachi, Pakistan and Cairo, Egypt also make the list of noisiest cities in the world.
- Guangzhou, China is an interesting addition to this list. The noise pollution comes from the usual culprits--traffic, honking, a large population. But there is also a promotional broadcasting system which allows commercials, music, and public messages to be played along the major sidewalks, adding to the loud sounds.
- New York City is the USA's loudest city, and the noise pollution in NYC has gotten worse in the last three years as helicopter traffic has increased.
But what about the loudest place in the world that isn't a result of human activity? No gunshots, no fireworks, no engines, only the roar of nature?
The answer is less of a where and more of a when. In August of 1883, the volcanic island of Krakatoa (located in Indonesia) erupted, and the sound of this explosion circled the globe multiple times. Not only were there records of people hearing the blast from thousands of miles away, but there were also effects in countries where the sound was not heard, but created a spike in the atmospheric pressure. Scientists believe this is the loudest event humans have ever accurately measured. Krakatoa's eruption was measured to be 172 decibels from 100 miles away. 100 miles away!
If your ears are buzzing at the thought of all that noise, let's look at some of the quietest places in the world. First, I'll mention the spaces that are constructed by humans to be quiet.
- The anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis has been the topic of many media posts, and more specifically, the exclamation that "no one can last longer than 45 minutes" before they can't bear the silence. These reports are exaggerated, but the fact of this chamber's intense quiet is completely true--this soundproof, echo-proof chamber is so quiet, you will hear your own blood coursing through your veins.
- If you can't make it to Minneapolis, there are likely sensory deprivation tanks at a spa near you. These tanks are filled with water to match your body temperature, and are soundproof and lightproof, giving the user a feeling of floating alone in space.
- Zurich, Switzerland is a comparably quiet city, thanks to well-regulated noise ordinances and an overall culture that promotes the "sanctuary of silence."
And really, with the development of earplugs and other noise-cancelling devices, a person is able to block out sound wherever they are.
But the earth has provided far more naturally quiet places than loud ones.
- The underwater caves of Tak Be Ha Cenote, Mexico, are cathedral-like and silent, with dripping water as the only frequent sound.
- Antarctica, being unspoiled by major human settlement, is capped in ice and snow, which absorbs sound.
- The Landmannalaugar, a quiet open road in Iceland, runs past natural hot springs and fields of grass. You can walk, bike, or drive for miles without seeing anyone else.
- Olympic National Park in Washington state, the largest coniferous forest in the lower 48 United States, is quiet of all manmade sounds, and rangers regularly monitor for noise intrusions, which are not tolerated.
There is a place nicknamed "the quietest place on Earth," and though it doesn't technically set any records when measured in decibels, the crater in Hawaii's Haleakalā National Park has a quiet reverence and a stillness--perhaps because it is located atop a volcano which rises nearly two miles into the sky. Visitors can hear their own heartbeats while standing in this crater.
It's worth paying attention to your own reactions to extreme noise or extreme silence. Too much noise can overstimulate your sensory systems, leading to irritation, anxiety, and disrupted executive functions. Too much silence can also overpower your nervous system, create emotional dysregulation, and feelings of unsettled isolation. Luckily for humans living in 2023, we have the technological power to put ourselves in whatever sonic landscape we desire--ambient train rides, a live concert, pink noise, or reruns of The Office--all with the power of headphones.
Let's go see if there's an ASMR soundscape of Orfield Laboratories' anechoic chamber.