The Anechoic Chamber, (Credit: University of Salford)

Did you know, there's a room in Orfield Laboratory (located in South Minneapolis), that has the distinction of being the quietest room on Earth. Called the ‘anechoic chamber,' It absorbs approximately 99% of all sound.

As innocuous as it might sound, no one has been able to last inside the chamber for more than 45 minutes at a time. Those who dare enter it soon become disoriented and start hallucinating, which begs the question, can complete silence really drive a person mad?

The folks at Veritasium dive into exactly how and why:

WATCH: Can Silence Actually Drive You Crazy?"

So, what would happen? Steven Orfield, the lab's founder, states that "We challenge people to sit in the chamber in the dark – one person stayed in there for 45 minutes. When it’s quiet, ears will adapt. The quieter the room, the more things you hear. You’ll hear your heart beating, sometimes you can hear your lungs, hear your stomach gurgling loudly. In the anechoic chamber, you become the sound."

[Reference: Hearing Aid Know]

With that said, would you venture in anyway?

 


Share This Article