Pre-industrial daily life exposed people to far lower sound levels than today

Evidence

Bruce R. Smith’s study of English sound environments in the 1500s backs me up by affirming that, except when bells rang, dogs barked, or thunder rolled, no one in those more active, noisier times was exposed to sounds louder than 60 dB. — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 152

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 152
• XREF: connects to: Industrial factory noise was so extreme it disabled communication and normal reactions; Ocean ambient noise levels have risen dramatically over the past sixty years — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 354; Extreme battlefield noise can annihilate thought and reduce a person to helpless reflex — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 424 (+2 more)

Library Connections

• Industrial factory noise was so extreme it disabled communication and normal reactions #exemplifies (0.85)
• Extreme battlefield noise can annihilate thought and reduce a person to helpless reflex #exemplifies (0.80) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 424

Broader Connections

• Ocean ambient noise levels have risen dramatically over the past sixty years #expands (0.75) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 354