Something easily broken, like porcelain or crystal, and something delicate and valuable

Posted on by Live & Learn

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“This is Your Brain on Silence“ by Daniel A. Gross:

“Silence, Please” has proven to be the most popular theme in Finland’s rebranding, and one of the most popular pages on VisitFinland.com. Maybe silence sells because, so often, we treat it as a tangible thing—something easily broken, like porcelain or crystal, and something delicate and valuable. Vikman remembers a time when she experienced the rarity of nearly complete silence. Standing in the Finnish wilderness, she strained her ears to pick out the faintest sounds of animals or wind. “It’s strange,” she says, “the way you change. You have all the power—you can break the silence with even with the smallest sounds. And then you don’t want to do it. You try to be as quiet as you can be.”

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17 thoughts on “Something easily broken, like porcelain or crystal, and something delicate and valuable”

  2. yes, and it is precious. when driving in the car with my daughters, we used to take turns choosing what song to listen to. quite often i would choose ‘4 minutes of silence’ as my option instead of a song. they would always be up in arms about it )

  3. perfection! I often practice “Silent Sundays” – hubbs leaves for golf, I putter around with the slider open, the only sound being the morning songbirds …. ahh … No talking, no TV, no music. Just me and my thoughts .. MJ

  4. I find I need quiet. My husband turns on the TV immediately upon wakening. When he travels, I rarely turn on the TV, especially in the morning. It feels so refreshing.

  6. That marketing strategy alone makes me want to go. Finland and Iceland are on my list. But, too, what an interesting article you linked about the science of silence. More food for the brain.

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