Sounds of Jax

Words by Tysen Romeo

 

Almost anything and everything makes sound. It is an essential part of our lives. Sound is a combination of vibrations that travel into your ears and then transform into electrical signals that are sent to your brain via the vestibulocochlear nerve, which, in turn, makes your brain tell you that you are hearing a sound while trying to determine what that sound is.

 

Researchers at Brighton and Sussex Medical School found that when listening to natural sounds, like rain drops on your roof or birds chirping in the morning, bodily systems that control the flight or fight and rest and digest responses are affected. 

 

“When listening to natural sounds, the brain connectivity reflected an outward-directed focus of attention; when listening to artificial sounds, the brain connectivity reflected an inward-directed focus of attention, similar to states observed in anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder and depression,” according to their research.

 

This happens because of vibrations. Everything in life has its own vibration, and when we attune ourselves with these vibrations by either spending time in nature or listening to sounds through recordings of it, our vibrations harmonize with them, and we feel connected to nature.

 

Even when we sing or listen to music our bodies/minds have some pretty interesting reactions. When we sing, vibrations course through us, which alter our physical and emotional being. Singing also releases endorphins, which act as our brain’s “happy” chemicals, as well as oxytocin, our “love” hormone. People who sing regularly are proven to sustain high levels of emotional stability and well-being.

 

When listening to music, the brain is affected a little differently, but it has the same overall effect. Music has the ability to produce some of the strongest emotional reactions. It can make us happy, sad, nostalgic or even scared. Everyone’s taste of music differs, so the effects are different and also depend on the songs they are listening to. Whether you are listening to a song that reminds you of your childhood or someone special to you or one that’s upbeat and makes you want to dance, music will make you feel something.

 

I recorded what I hear throughout a normal day in Jacksonville from going to Starbucks for my morning coffee to walking Downtown, passing through traffic to get to the “Folio” office and hearing music playing in James Weldon Johnson Park, then leaving the office and spending the rest of my day at the beach and in nature while the sun is still out. On the drive home, the windows are down to hear the wind and feel the breeze, then wrapping up my day full of sounds with going out with friends to a kava bar and hearing live music.