A deaf man’s brain feels less silent without hearing aids than with them on

Evidence

Yet he finds this state less silent than when he is wearing his artificial receptors in a soundproof environment. — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 323

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 323
• XREF: connects to: In near-total silence a person may hear the mechanics of their own body — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 578; Near-total silence reveals that most people generate internal sound perceived as tinnitus — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 571; Deep silence can feel like a sensory presence rather than mere absence — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 35 (+9 more)

Library Connections

• Deep silence can feel like a sensory presence rather than mere absence #corroborates (0.85) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 35

Broader Connections

• The brain fabricates phantom sound when expected sensory input is absent #exemplifies (0.80) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 324
• Loss of quiet erodes the very awareness needed to notice its loss #corroborates (0.75) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 896
• The brain amplifies internal noise so total silence cannot be perceived #expands (0.70) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 609
• Perceived silence emerges only after minutes of acclimatization #complicates (0.70) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 114
• The act of hearing itself makes total sensory silence unattainable #expands (0.60) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 526
• Hearing is mostly internal neural processing, not raw external sound reception #corroborates (0.60) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 561