Saccular acoustic sensitivity
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| Saccule | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | sacculus |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Saccular Acoustic Sensitivity is a measurement of the ear's affectability to sound. The saccule's normal function is to keep the body balanced, but it is believed to have some hearing function for special frequencies and tones. Saccular acoustic sensitivity is considered to be simply an extension of the sense of hearing through the use of the saccule.
Effects
Saccular acoustic sensitivity has a variety physiological as well as mental/emotional effects.
Physical Effects
Perhaps the most observable physical response is goose bumps. A similar effect is the manifestation of chills. Some sounds can even cause reflexive muscle movements like a twitch or even a jump [1]. Since these physical effects are easily recorded and are linked consistently with strong emotion, they have bee used in several types of psychological studies.[2]
Mental/Emotional Effects
Certain sounds, such as fingernails drawn down a blackboard, cause strong feelings of aversion or even fear in most humans. A 2004 study claimed that the blackboard sound was very similar to the warning cry of Siamang gibbons and hypothesized that a vestigial reflex is what causes the fight or flight reaction in humans [3]. Other sounds, such as a person coughing or vomiting, provoke responses of disgust. These emotional reactions are thought to be caused by the bodies natural tendency to avoid disease [4].
Stimulation
Negative Stimulation
While each individual is affected by some sounds more than others, there are some nearly universal saccular acoustical stimulants. Trevor J. Cox, of the University of Salford, conducted an online study to identify the "most horrible sound." Participants were asked to listen to recordings of various "bad" noises and rate them by their horribleness. "Vomiting" was selected as the most horrible sound by a wide margin. Surprisingly, "nails on a blackboard" was only ranked 16. [5].
| Rank | Sound Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Vomiting |
| 2 | Microphone Feedback |
| 3* | Multiple Babies Crying |
| 3* | Scrape of Train Wheels |
| 5 | Squeak of Seesaw |
| 6 | Violin Played Badly |
| 7* | Whoopee cushion |
| 7* | Single Baby Crying |
| 9* | Soap Opera Argument |
| 9* | Mains hum |
| 11 | Tasmanian Devil |
| 12* | Cough |
| 12* | Cat Spitting and Howling |
| 12* | Mobile Phone Ringing |
| 15 | Creaky Door |
| 16* | Barking Mad Dog |
| 16* | Sniff |
| 16* | Fingernails on a Blackboard |
| 16* | Polystyrene |
| 20 | Dentists' Drill |
| 21 | Cough and Spit |
| 22 | Alarm Clock |
| 23 | Fast Electrical Drilling |
| 24 | Apple Munch |
| 25 | Creaky Stairs |
| 26* | Squeaky Trolley |
| 26* | Snoring |
| 28* | Electrical Throb |
| 28* | Cat Eating Noisily |
| 30 | Reverberated Whoopee Cushion |
| 31 | Aircraft Take-off |
| 32 | Drums |
| 33 | Gong |
| 34 | Low, Not-Quite-Eerie Noise |
(* signifies a tie)
Positive Stimulation
There are various sounds that correspond to positive physical and emotional reactions as well. Therapists use these soothing sounds for therapy in stress relief and relaxation. However, most of the sounds that invoke positive responses tend to be more subjective. Familiarity tends to play a large role in the amount of positive stimulation observed. For example, a man listening to a familiar song is more likely to experience pleasure and have goosebumps than a man listening to something unfamiliar [6].
References
- ^ Eckart Altenmüller, et al. "Chills In Different Sensory Domains: Frisson Elicited By Acoustical, Visual, Tactile And Gustatory Stimuli." Psychology Of Music 39.2 (2011): 220-239. PsycINFO. Web. 12 Dec. 2011.
- ^ McCrae, Robert R. "Aesthetic Chills as a Universal Marker of Openness to Experience." Motivation and Emotion 31.1 (2007): 5-11. Print.
- ^ Todd, Neil P. McAngus, and Merker, Bjorn. "Siamang Gibbons Exceed the Saccular Threshold: Intensity of the Song of Hylobates syndactylus." Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 115.6 (2004): 3077-3080. Print.
- ^ Ray, C. Claiborne. "Nasty Noises." New York Times 24 June 2008: 2. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Dec. 2011.
- ^ Cox, Trevor J. "Scraping Sounds and Disgusting Noises." Applied Acoustics 69.12 (2008): 1195-1204. Print.
- ^ Grewe, Oliver, Reinhard Kopiez, and Eckart Altenmüller. "The Chill Parameter: Goose Bumps And Shivers As Promising Measures In Emotion Research." Music Perception 27.1 (2009): 61-74. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Dec. 2011.