The brain sends more neural signals down to the ear than it receives

Evidence

There are more [neural] pathways going down [from the brain] than up,” Melcher tells me. “It’s very different from the visual.” — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 559

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 559
• XREF: connects to: City dwellers become functionally deaf to a constant low background urban hum — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 94; Hearing is mostly internal neural processing, not raw external sound reception — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 561; In sound’s absence the brain amplifies its own internal signals to compensate — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 610 (+6 more)

Library Connections

• The hearing system actively filters and modulates sound more than passively receiving it #corroborates (0.90) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 558
• Hearing is mostly internal neural processing, not raw external sound reception #corroborates (0.85) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 561
• The act of hearing itself makes total sensory silence unattainable #corroborates (0.85) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 526
• Near-total silence reveals that most people generate internal sound perceived as tinnitus #exemplifies (0.80) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 571
• The brain amplifies internal noise so total silence cannot be perceived #exemplifies (0.80) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 609
• In sound’s absence the brain amplifies its own internal signals to compensate #expands (0.80) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 610

Broader Connections

• The brain’s evolved vigilance actively forecloses the possibility of true silence #expands (0.75)
• Listening actively shapes the sound it perceives rather than merely registering it #expands (0.60) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 346