Is city noise making us sick?

Close your eyes and open your ears. What do you hear? Do the sounds you hear bother you? And, more importantly, do you have control over those sounds? As more and more the population migrates to urban environments - the urban population of the world has quadrupled since 1960. In fact, unwanted noise has become an increasingly critical problem. Join Glad You Asked host Joss Fong as she explores how noise pollution is becoming an ever greater concern for our health, how the negative effects of noise are unequally distributed, and how we can learn to find peace.

0:00 Intro
1:53 Is City Noise Making Us Sick?
4:57 Hearing Loss
7:14 Noise As A Weapon
8:49 Chelsea, MA
14:09 Noise Pollution
17:26 Central Park
20:00 Wrap Up

[Mojo_Jojo_jo]

I'm studying architecture and one of the coures I had this year was about noise and light pollution! One job we had, was to analyse a space or square in the city where noise and light was a problem. We then had to create a project that acted as solution. I think it's absolutely important that the next generation who studies architecture, focuses on the well being of the people and not only the buildings.

[deelitebaby]

So happy you did this. Noise is overlooked as a health hazard, especially in NYC. I often wondered if I was hypersensitive, as it seemed to be affecting me psychologically… why did I do that?! It makes so much sense. You need peace and some sane level of quiet to be able to think, live, work, play.

[FlyToTheRain]

Makes me think of hospitals too. When I was admitted once my doctor told me they were going to discharge me a day earlier than they normally would because they thought I would rest better at home. The 20+ minutes of loud consistent beeping of IV machines and various monitors when a nurse couldn't get to me right away definitely made for restless sleeps.

[Lorri]

Very timely for me as I'm currently experiencing anxiety from city sounds. I have lived in the city for 30yrs and never really gave noise a second thought. It was just a fact of life living here. But then lockdown from Covid came along and the quietness began. I noticed right away my body relax. So when we came out of lockdown and the sounds started coming back, my anxiety came back. But now I REALLY hear all the sounds and it's very difficult to live with.

[guentherd]

Cities in the Netherlands are amazingly quiet, we should follow their lead and move closer to car free cities

[jordanw]

Noise cancelling headphones saved my sanity. I was seriously about to cry one day from freeway sounds in my bedroom drivng me up the wall. I bought ear plugs for nighttime and noise cancelling headphones for the day when I'm working.

[ana-morgana]

Watched an amazing video by Not Just Bikes called Cities Aren't Loud: Cars Are Loud and it's amazing to see how quiet you can make cities if it's a priority

[lakecountynaturalist]

Noise can make you sick. I used to be nervous all the time and suffered panic attacks. I moved to the country and all of that disappeared. I never felt so good in my entire life.

[itsPenguinBoy]

Poor sleep has a massive impact... Also the friction with neighbours and generations that comes with low income areas, where either students or road youth feel that noise doesn't matter, is super stressful and damaging for community cohesion.

[colleenc.]

I remember years ago reading about birds that live near highways started to make “highway noises”

[Cubehead]

I expect a good way to cut down on noise pollution might be to take some of the cars off city streets by expanding public transportation and making our cities more walkable. My assumption would be that the less vehicles there are on the road, the less noise there is to affect our health.

[xtcsx]

This is why most Americans live in the burbs - they escape the city noise but also cause a lot of it when they drive back to the city for work

[chocowaff]

When I was in my late teens I went outside to just get some quiet, and the A/C unit was off. And it was peaceful, except this steady roar in the distance. When I was younger I thought it was the sound of cold air coming from up north. Now I realize it’s the cars on the freeway about a Mile from my home. I don’t think I’ve ever once in my entire life heard complete silence.

[Yasminescookingshow]

So glad I found this. I just came back from NY yesterday. I used to live in there, but now I live in Virginia thanks to my military. Been here for 10 years now. And I have to say, I always look forward to coming back to Virginia after visiting NY for a few days like, yesterday for example. My emotions were overstimulated upon my return. My solution to calming back down to life in quiet Virginia? Hot yoga today. City noise does affect our mood and how we even do relationships, and respond to people. There's not enough money in the world that would make me go back and live in Brooklyn.

[ThisisBarris]

Real shame that cars wasn’t the main focus of this video, when they’re by FAR the largest cause of noise. It makes it sound like all sources of noise are equivalent, which is just not true.

[nadyakirilovamihaylo]

Thank you for raising awareness of this horrible problem. The level of traffic noise in my neighbourhood is unbelievable and I cannot escape it anywhere because everyone is driving. It brings me to tears. 😢

[Whowhatwherewhy]

Already having 20 years tinnitus:
I go to the beach: idling vehicles, loud music and kids and parents screaming.
I go to the park: lawnmowers, leaf blowers, idling cars, and kids and parents screaming, dogs barking.
No escape. Not even home: traffic, loud music….
I’ve lost most my hearing already.

[raysay]

Really strange that in an episode about noise pollution and sound sensitivity that there was no warning for the loud high frequency noise that just showed up out of nowhere. Especially when the episode encourages headphone use and is relatively quiet up until that point like jeez.

[jaridkeen]

America passed laws on Sound. We just need to hold our Government more accountable to enforce the sound laws

[aspenbentley]

I would love to see this video from an alternate perspective. I grew up in the mountains (in a, literal, cabin in the woods) and have strived to be with nature as much as I could when going to college. I went to the University of Colorado, Boulder which has very little street/human noises, and I lived out of town. Always keeping city noises in the back of my mind... I grew up like that. More in-tune with natural sounds. Every night, I listen to background street noises on my sound machine. Those are the ones that calm me as opposed to nature/forest noises. Same with my friends that come from small mountain towns. All my friend that came from big cities can only fall asleep with nature sounds. I'd love to explore this further. Loved this video!!