Guybrush

Background noises actually help mask disturbing sounds. In a very quiet environment, we get very alert. In an otherwise quiet environment, sounds stand out. If you have some kind of background sound going on, other sounds seem less loud.

By background sound, I mean a sound that you are not interested in. It's just present. It could be the hum of a refrigerator, rain, the wind in the trees outside your window, the sound from a fan in the room or even white noise. When the sound is labeled as insignificant, it is ignored by your brain by the same process that makes it so you don't notice every place on your body where your clothes touch you. To some degree, we focus on sensory input which is regarded as important and ignore that which is not.

So, sleeping with a noisy fan on can be a better way to get some quiet than sleeping in a quiet room. Any sudden noise will seem very loud in the quiet room, but next to the sound of the fan (which you will learn to ignore in no time), it will be much more quiet.

__________________
Something Completely Different

Necromancer

Ive been sleeping with a fan running through the night now for I don't know how long. But it has to be a very smooth running fan in order for it to work for me. If a piece of paper gets sucked against the screen or into the blades, thats it! I'm up outta bed right away. Or sometimes it will vibrate across the floor and get against the wall and start making a tapping sound, I'm up and awake. And when I travel somewhere and have to stay over night, I either have to bring along my own personal fan or go strait to wallmart and buy one. And in the winter time it can be very hard finding one in the northern states. Fairly easy in the southern states. I have left fans all over the east coast, motel rooms, friends places, Geesh!

The Fascinating Turnip

I think you're a clever irish unicorn.

I find the sound of a blow drier or one of those little portable heaters infinitely relaxing. I could literally spend an afternoon sitting in front of one of those. Sleeping with that kind of background noise would be terrific.

Paedantic Basterd

Fair enough, it wasn't clear whether it was a response to me or a general statement.

On that note, I'm guilty of using air freshener for the same reason; to give my senses a focal point other than that which I find unpleasant.

Ultimately what it comes down to is I am usually alone in my working environment, and I listen to whatever I want regardless of customer preference, because I'm the person who has to spend eight hours of their day there. A customer is not typically present for longer than 5 minutes at a time, and as such, their preferences are moot. If that's something others consider rude, so be it, but I will not decrease my enjoyment of my job for the sake of an opinionated individual who is experiencing a minor inconvenience for merely a minute out of their day.

That said, amusingly enough, I've had the most compliments with Rachmaninoff on the radio, and the most complaints about Sufjan Stevens.

Rubato

^ I can't help but read your posts in Bernards voice, it's...odd.

starrynight

How relaxing something is may depend on the pitch and volume.

__________________
non-cliquey member of every music forum I participate on

Guybrush

I realize that very few people like the music I love the most, even among friends, so (imo) thinking that people are idiots for not liking what I love would be stupid of me

__________________
Something Completely Different