Phonophobia is a pathological fear of sounds, short-term or long-term exposure to which can cause panic attacks. It is human nature to be frightened by loud sounds, to flinch and turn towards the noise. This reaction refers to unconditioned protective reflexes. It is formed from the first days of life, even a newborn freezes in fear, spreading its arms and legs to the sides, in response to a loud sound (Moro reflex). Fear of sounds is natural if it does not turn into an irrational, uncontrollable fear of even those noises that are completely harmless.
The phobia is also known by other names: ligyrophobia and acousticophobia. Typically these terms are used interchangeably. But, if you look at it, there are slight differences. Phonophobia literally means fear of sound. Acousticophobia is translated as fear associated with hearing. In fact they are synonyms. Ligyrophobia is the fear of loud sounds and devices that can make them.
Symptoms of phonophobia
Phonophobes become anxious when talking in a raised voice. They regard people who are used to talking quite loudly as potential aggressors. The presence of such “noisy” interlocutors causes great discomfort to sufferers; the feeling of insecurity can result in unexpected hysteria.
The peculiarity of the fear of noise lies in the fear of not only the sounds themselves. Inactive alarm clocks, alarms, music equipment or loudspeakers also instill fear in ligorophobes. Victims of this disease are very suspicious and tense at the thought that the device may be about to start working. The sight of an inflated balloon can cause a chain of reactions in the form of psychological or vegetative manifestations, even if it does not burst.
Listening to recorded music can provoke panic attacks between songs. Those few seconds of silence followed by the sudden start of music are excruciating for those who suffer from a fear of music.
The extent of symptoms varies depending on the severity and phase of the fear of loud noises. The primary influence on this is the weakening of the nervous system. The mild form is quite tolerable. An excessively pronounced manifestation of a phobia of loud sounds can lead to deafness or insanity. Therefore, phonophobes try to retreat away from the source of discomfort. If this is not possible, cover your ears with your hands; uncontrollable progressive fear transforms into panic. The crisis is accompanied by rapid heartbeat, dizziness and migraines, lack of oxygen, trembling hands, increased sweating or nausea.
There are often cases when, due to the fear of a loud sound, a person is isolated from the outside world. A phonophobe becomes very selective in his career, giving preference to “quiet” specialties.
What are phonophobes afraid of?
People have specific objects and events that frighten them. These include:
- Balloons. A person is afraid to be near inflated balloons. At the mere thought that the balloon might burst and make a loud sound, the phonophobe's palms sweat and knees tremble. Inflating the balloon yourself is out of the question.
- Musical toys. Children cry if the sound of a toy frightens them. It may be a cheerful tune, but it is too loud for a baby. A child may have fear for the rest of his life.
- Loud voice. Phonophobe does not like airports and train stations. He is afraid to imagine that he will hear the loud voice of the dispatcher. A person does not go to public places where it is always noisy.
- Bird sounds. People can't stand it when flocks of crows circle overhead. This chorus of ominous croaks is associated with aggression. The next step is an attack. These birds are considered residents of the cemetery. Meeting them makes you think about death.
- Pyrotechnics. On New Year's Eve or Victory Day, the phonophobe will stay at home. He has already soundproofed the apartment so as not to hear frightening sounds.
It is impossible to predict what will trigger a panic attack.
Sitting at home or hiding from sounds every time is not an option. This way you will miss a lot of interesting things in life.
Phonophobe fears balloons that burst with a loud sound
Causes of loud noise phobia
Attempts to hide your condition from others only intensify the manifestation of symptoms. As the stimulus is eliminated, the internal state normalizes and manifestations of fear of loud human sounds disappear. The causes of this disorder can be caused by a childhood fright or an incident at a noisy crowded event with serious consequences.
At an early age, tragic events might be remembered by the sound of sirens or music at an ill-fated concert. In the future, the unprocessed psychological trauma will remind itself when a similar sound environment is repeated.
Chronic stress, vegetative-vascular dystonia, neurasthenic diagnoses can also become conductors of phonophobia.
In addition to the psychological component, fear of loud sounds can occur with rabies, a dangerous viral disease.
The development of this pathology is facilitated by suspicion, excessive emotionality, and a prolonged state of nervous tension. The resulting depression, lack of moral strength, and even falling into alcohol or drug addiction is the other side of phonophobia. Therefore, the question of treating or letting everything take its course is not worth even thinking about.
What is phonophobia and its types
What is the fear of sounds called? Phonophobia, or acousticophobia, is the fear of loud and sharp sounds, short and long sounds, and quiet sounds. It is normal to flinch at an unexpected sound and turn in the direction of the stimulus. This is due to the innate instinct of self-preservation and reflexes, in children this reflex is called Moro. We are talking about pathology when a person cannot cope with fear and panics.
Acousticophobia – fear of quiet sounds
The fear of quiet sounds is due to the fact that once a person had to hide and listen in order to determine the danger in advance. What situations could these be: captivity, war, kidnapping and slavery, fear of parents (for example, a child hid in a closet and listened for an angry stepfather to stop looking for him and go into another room).
Ligyrophobia
Ligyrophobia is the fear of loud noises and their sources. For example, a person experiences fear and anxiety not only when he hears a siren, but also when he sees a police car or an ambulance. Ligyrophobia is frightened by one type of alarm system, audio system, production machine, alarm clock and other sources of loud sounds. Birds, musical toys and instruments, children, singers and other living and non-living sources can also frighten.
Fear of the sound of voices
The reason for the fear of the sound of voices is an unhappy childhood. Insults, humiliation, psychological violence, criticism, demands, quarrels of other people - all this is deposited in the child’s memory. And then he associates any voice with a portion of negativity. If a child is often punished for expressing his opinions, desires, ideas, then a fear of his own voice develops. People with this mental disorder have problems with speech. They can formulate a thought, but cannot express it. They stutter, confuse words or endings, forget words, mumble.
Causes of fear of music and slurping
Some people get annoyed when others slurp. In this case, acoustic phobia is masked behind irritation and aggression. The exact causes of slurping intolerance are not known; psychologists continue to study this form of phonophobia.
Another specific form of phobia is the fear of music and its potential sources. The cause of fear is personal psychological trauma. The patient avoids possible sources of music, for example, concerts, sports fields, speakers, microphones, telephones, etc.
Treatment of ligirophobia
Before any appointments, the specialist will conduct a preliminary examination. Treatment tactics are determined individually, since each specific case has its own characteristics and nature of origin.
Fighting fear on your own
In a mild form, the fear of loud sounds can be overcome on your own. Awareness and internal motivation will help in solving the problem. Choose a set of relaxation exercises and breathing exercises, regularly practice meditation against fear and panic attacks:
Your task is to take control of fear. For your peace of mind, you can periodically consult with a psychologist to monitor the dynamics.
More complex cases can only undergo stable remission with the participation of a specialist. A psychologist or psychotherapist will determine the tactics and sequence of therapy.
Drug treatment
The medicinal aspect when working with fear of loud sounds is aimed at selecting tranquilizers and antidepressants by a specialist. To reduce anxiety levels, Hydroxyzine, Buspirone or Phenazepam are prescribed. From a series of antidepressant drugs, Duloxetine, Milnacipran, Bupropion are used. Please note that the names of medications are given for reference. Self-medication will not lead to the desired result.
Their use will be systematic. In addition, an additional one-time dose of a sedative will be recommended. Tincture of valerian or motherwort will help before known contact with the source of an irritating attack. For example, a noisy place or a situation that resembles a traumatic factor.
This part of therapy is aimed largely at working with the immediate manifestations of the disease. Reducing symptoms and minimizing the number of crisis outbreaks will improve the person's condition. But addressing the source of the problem itself is no less important.
Classification and characteristics
Fear of mirrors - what is the scientific name of the phobia?
Phonophobia is a disorder that can take many forms. The most common types are fear of any noises and sounds, fear of dissonant noises, fear of certain musical chords, panic at any noise made by transport. The signs of fear of noise are almost always the same: a sharp fear, increased heart rate and increased blood pressure, in severe cases - a feeling of lack of air, respiratory spasms. Sometimes patients, upon hearing an unpleasant noise, may involuntarily reach for a cigarette, even if they normally smoke very little.
Main etiological factors
A person who has a similar disease begins to feel anxious when loud music appears or in the presence of people talking loudly. He involuntarily looks for a safe place. In front of people who naturally have a loud or ringing voice, he feels defenseless or very uncomfortable, to the point of developing hysteria. Quite often, a panic attack can develop, especially if loud noises are sudden.
Sometimes patients with ligirophobia feel significant discomfort and tension when being in close proximity to devices that can make a loud sound. These include speakers, alarm clock, car. Patients cannot stand it when balloons are inflated next to them. After all, panic can begin even when the balloon does not burst.
Among the main reasons for the development of this condition, the following should be noted:
- Traumatic brain injuries;
- Migraine;
- Frequent episodes of headaches of unknown origin;
- Abstinence.
The disease is accompanied by unbearable headache and requires noise isolation of the patient.
Sound as a weapon: from fighter jets to Britney Spears
Initially, acoustic weapons were developed for combat. During World War II, German scientists worked on creating a gun of this kind, which greatly amplified the sound of an explosion of a mixture of gases and led to the death of a person at close range. However, it was not possible to build a working sample. Since the 1990s, sound has been used during special operations where it was necessary to neutralize the enemy or force him to surrender, but not kill him.
Modern non-lethal acoustic weapons are used not only by the military. Police officers around the world are being equipped to disperse crowds such as demonstrators using deafening or irritating sound. One such device can put thousands of people to flight.
Extremely loud
Jurgen Altmann, a physicist at the Technical University of Dortmund, has shown that sound at a volume of 200 decibels causes lung rupture and death. Waves of such strength (it would be more correct to call them shock waves) arise as a result of the explosion of a projectile. At 185 decibels, eardrums burst, and at 140, they lead to temporary hearing loss. For non-lethal acoustic weapons, Professor Altman proposed using a sound with a volume no higher than 120 decibels, which is comparable to the noise of a running chainsaw.
In the fall of 2005, in response to rocket launches from the Palestinian side, the Israeli army began “training raids” on populated areas of the Gaza Strip. Fighter jets flying very low over residential areas created an acoustic boom effect: people on the ground heard the sound of an explosion, as if a bomb had been dropped directly on them. According to Palestinian psychiatrist Eyad Sarraj, the air raids provoked panic attacks, insomnia, depression, convulsions and nausea.
The children began to have problems concentrating and began to behave aggressively.
During the period of frequent raids, the number of miscarriages among pregnant women increased. Human rights groups have asked Israel's top court to ban fighter jets from flying at supersonic speeds over residential areas.
The Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), or sound gun, is used primarily to break up demonstrations. The installation scares people away with a very loud (up to 150 decibels) or unpleasant, irritating sound. The military and police recognize the effectiveness of such acoustic weapons when it is necessary to disperse a crowd, push back protesters, secure a checkpoint or other important facility.
The LRAD manufacturing company supplies its devices to 70 countries. Sound cannons protect military and tourist ships. In 2005, a cruise ship off the coast of Somalia was attacked by pirates. They were driven away thanks to the LRAD, however, the first victim of the sound waves was the ship's security chief, Michael Groves. He now suffers from partial hearing loss and tinnitus.
The weak point of such weapons is their range: it is limited to several tens of meters due to the scattering of sound waves in the air. You can protect yourself with earplugs or headphones, so stunning tactics are only effective against unprepared people. Although earplugs also have disadvantages: they reduce the volume by 20–40 decibels, and along with dangerous noise, they suppress all other sounds.
Music: torture without torture
Journalist Juliette Volclair, who wrote the book Extremely Loud: Sound as a Weapon, argues that it is impossible to find a sound in the “normal” audible range that would be frightening and intolerable for everyone, since perception is culturally conditioned. This may explain the effect of war cries, horns and trumpets: the same signal terrifies enemies and encourages “friends”. The intelligence services experimented with the crying of children and the squeaking of animals being killed, but did not achieve much success.
In 1989, Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was blocked in the Vatican embassy as a result of a US military operation.
Speakers were installed around the perimeter of the building and heavy rock music, including AC/DC and Alice Cooper, was broadcast around the clock at maximum volume.
Noriega preferred classical opera and gave up after a few days.
Since then, American intelligence agencies have regularly used music as a means of psychological pressure and “processing” before interrogation. In Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prisons, where terrorist suspects are held, prisoners were tortured with pop songs, rap and heavy metal. In addition to the fact that the loud sound had purely physiological effects, causing dizziness and nausea, some prisoners, due to the peculiarities of their worldview, experienced a burning hatred of Western culture, which the secret services masterfully used. Compositions by Metallic or Drowning Pool shocked those who had never heard anything like it. Music during Ramadan (even Arabic) or tracks like “March of the Pigs” by Nine Inch Nails were intended by the torturers to demoralize Muslims. Songs by Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and Eminem's "White America" proclaimed the triumph of American pop culture.
Binyam Mohamed, a Guantanamo Bay detainee, said that the methods of psychological pressure in prisons are worse than physical torture. The pain can be endured, unlike the feeling of losing your mind during “musical torture.” The UN and the European Court of Human Rights have banned the use of loud music during interrogations, but according to the British human rights organization Reprieve, the method is still practiced in secret prisons.
Russia is no exception. After the uprising in Colony No. 6 in the city of Kopeisk in November 2012, facts of torture, including musical torture, were used in the correctional facility.
“Blue Moon” by Boris Moiseev, Rammstein and children’s songs were especially popular with the administration, although human rights activist Nikolai Shchur also mentioned classical works by Bach.
Playing music for many hours at maximum volume caused widespread pain, weakness, and “a feeling that the body was being torn apart.” For torture in the Kopeisk colony they used a special “device” - a bucket with speakers, which was placed on the prisoner’s head.
To enhance the effect, acoustic effects are combined with visual ones. For example, in Guantanamo, loud music was accompanied by strobe flashes, but in Abu Ghraib, on the contrary, everything happened in pitch darkness. Sensory overload and sensory deprivation have been used consistently in prisons. After many hours of deafening noise, absolute silence followed, and this frightened the prisoners even more: when the external stimulus suddenly disappeared, hallucinations began.
Elusive waves
Infrasonic devices are more insidious than audible acoustic weapons. Waves with a frequency below 20 hertz are not perceptible to the ear, but cause anxiety, uncontrollable panic, and disorientation in a person. Infrasound is of particular interest to the military because it can travel vast distances and obstacles such as walls due to its long wavelength. Neither distance from the sound source nor hearing protection can protect you from low-frequency vibrations.
In nature, infrasonic waves arise as a result of earthquakes, avalanches, and volcanic activity. This is an alarm signal - this explains the sensitivity of animals and, presumably, people to them. Film director Gaspar Noe admitted that in the soundtrack of the film Irreversible he used a low sound with a frequency of 27 hertz, close to the limit of audibility.
In cinemas with a powerful sound system, spectators felt anxiety, unaccountable fear, and some even left the theater, although they could not really explain why they were afraid.
Police shields, patented by American defense company Raytheon, generate low-frequency vibrations that allegedly resonate with the human respiratory tract and make it difficult for them to function. By adjusting the sound level, you can cause discomfort in people or temporarily incapacitate them. The principle of operation of such weapons is based on the ability of the organs of the human body to resonate with low-frequency vibrations from the outside. For example, Robert Traynor, an audiologist, writes that the eyeballs resonate at a frequency of 19 hertz, so an infrasonic wave with the same indicator leads to visual impairment.
There are no working weapons yet that use ultrasound (more than 20 kilohertz), although there are devices that generate high-frequency irritating waves. The police use them to disperse demonstrators, and store owners use them to discourage young people who don’t buy anything anyway. The ability to hear sounds with frequencies above 16 kilohertz disappears with age because the cells in the inner ear that are “responsible” for perceiving higher-range waves die. The creators of the Mosquito device take advantage of this: tuned to a frequency of 17 kilohertz, it acts as a “teenager repeller”, and adults simply do not hear it. Despite the impressive price, the device is popular in the UK: it is installed in shops, bus stops and parking lots.
In the fall of 2020, a diplomatic scandal erupted when employees of the US Embassy in Cuba complained of hearing loss. American authorities suspected a targeted attack using inaudible sound waves. However, experts doubt that ultrasound was to blame: it dissipates too quickly, passing through walls and other obstacles, especially in the humid air of Havana.
Scientists admit that the effect of sound waves on humans has not yet been fully studied. Acoustic weapons are considered more humane compared to machine guns and bombs. It is allowed to be used by military and peacekeeping missions, including against civilians. The same technologies are used by police during mass demonstrations, in prisons and refugee camps. Sonic weapons are open to abuse: they leave no trace.
