It is no secret that stress and anxiety can limit your ability to focus and perform your tasks effectively. Nevertheless, there are practical tools that can help you overcome this challenge. The rain sound is one of them. Keep reading to learn why sounds affect us on an emotional level, as well as how you can utilize rain sound in your everyday life.
How Does the Brain Transform Sound into Emotion?
There are numerous reasons why sounds impact the way we feel. First, if we suddenly hear an unexpected noise, we will immediately feel a subconscious impulse to investigate it.
Second, sound can turn into an emotional anchor. This means that the very same song can evoke different emotions in each of us based on what we were feeling when we first heard it.
Third, it is not uncommon for sounds to awaken visual images in the minds of the listeners. This is the reason why a lot of people like listening to the sounds of nature.
What Are the Psychological Effects of Rain Sound?
Some people believe that hearing thunder in the rain can be very frightening. Nevertheless, it turns out that a lot of us feel much more anxious when the weather is peaceful. In this regard, it is worth taking a closer look at the effects of rain sound.
Research shows that falling rain creates the so-called “pink noise”. This sound is a mixture of low and high frequencies (20 Hz to 20,000 Hz). In this way, it blocks out sensory inputs such as distractions and sirens. As a result of this, it is easier for the active mind to settle and relax.
How Can You Make Use of Rain Sound?
One of the easiest ways to utilize the power of pink noise is to listen to meditation with the sound of rain right before you go to sleep. This might help you increase the quality of your sleep , so you feel more energized in the morning.
Furthermore, we recommend that you listen to the sound of gentle rain and thunder whenever you feel a bit down. This is how your inner tension might find an outer expression.
Next, participants in memory recall experiments oftentimes remember misleading information provided by the experimenter instead of information they were supposed to remember (misinformation effect in psychology). This illustrates how challenging it can be to focus and be productive. Fortunately, rain sound can help us relax and concentrate better. This is particularly important because when we get tired, our effectiveness decreases (fatigue affects psychology).
Last, but not least, do not miss out on the opportunity to open your window or go outside next time it rains. Even if it is for just a few moments, it can be soothing to listen to the rain sound and to inhale the smell of rain.