Silent Sounds: Scientists Confirm Human Ability to Hear Silence

A new study suggests that the brain actively processes silence in a similar way to sound, challenging the notion that silence is simply the absence of noise. The study, involving 1,000 participants, showed that the brain perceives silence as it does sound, leading to the illusion that one continuous silence is longer than two separate ones. The research suggests that our brains pay attention to silence, explaining why we notice pauses in conversations or the hush at the end of a musical performance. The findings highlight the complex nature of perception and the brain's ability to process absence of sound.