Privately owned quiet rooms in cities where people can de-stress when they are overwhelmed
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Contrived _voiceFeb 03, 2022
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IDEA
Privately owned rooms with zero environmental stressors where people can break away from the outside world to collect themselves. The room is designed for minimal sensory input. Zero noise, no smells, low-intensity artificial lights or skylights for dimmed natural sunlight. Pets may also be optional
Why
Studies on the relationship between noise and interpersonal relations indicated that the level of noise was not the main aggressor but rather it was noise sensitivity brought upon by personal stress that caused mental agitation when in the presence of loud noises. The perceived noise increased the level of perceived stress in a sort of loop that echoes upon itself. .The environmental noise aggressors in this case include but are not limited to traffic noise,background murmurs, aeroplanes, air movement through gaps, the clacking of keyboards and music.
The increased noise sensitivity makes it harder to get sleep, which affects your ability to deal with the initial cause of stress, which gives you more stress and amplifies your noise sensitivity further. At this stage your interactions with others become compromised, You exist in a state where your mind is always foggy, your ability to communicate decays and so does your ability to take in input. Affecting your work and putting you in an eternally foul mood. This may carry on into your relationships and affect your social life.
Further studies also indicated a correlation between noise exposure and higher readings of blood pressure. This was done on the basis of occupational noise exposure. Generally working in noisy environments keeps your body in a constant state of stress.
A perfect example of this in practice is how you become aware of small sounds in your environment after watching a scary movie. The scare causes you to become more aware of noises in your surrounding which ends up scaring you more.
Benefits.
I believe the key is breaking the loop. whenever you become stressed, going somewhere quiet could give you the headspace to work through what is causing you to become stressed without any external input. It would be easier if you could get the quiet without having to leave the town or take a trip to some place less hectic and I think this would provide that.
It would also reduce any drug or alcohol dependency for escape since you can just get the escape without having to chemically alter your mind.
How it works
An individual makes a soundproof room with the above specifications. People then pay a sort of subscription fee to come and spend time there whenever they feel the need to. The room could also allow you to bring items that bring you comfort, say fluffy pillows or something similar
[1]Tobias A, Recio A, Diaz J, Linares C. Health impact assessment of traffic noise in Madrid (Spain). Environ Res. 2015;137:136–40.
[2]Park, J., Chung, S., Lee, J. et al. Noise sensitivity, rather than noise level, predicts the non-auditory effects of noise in community samples: a population-based survey. BMC Public Health 17, 315 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4244-5
[3]Van Kempen, E. E., Kruize, H., Boshuizen, H. C., Ameling, C. B., Staatsen, B. A., & de Hollander, A. E. (2002). The association between noise exposure and blood pressure and ischemic heart disease: a meta-analysis. Environmental health perspectives, 110(3), 307-317.
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General comments
Darko Savic2 years ago
A variation of this concept has been done by various companies on airports worldwide. Mostly used for napping or working in peace and quiet:
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Miloš Stanković2 years ago
Contrived _voice seems like someone went on and executed something very similar if not same. https://escape-pods.com/about-us/
Located in airports for starters, with rent available in 15-minute increments. It's $10 for 15 mins, so $40 for an hour which seems fine. I'd use it. Yet they do seem a bit claustrophobic.
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Contrived _voice2 years ago
Miloš Stanković tends to happen eventually
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Miloš Stanković2 years ago
An atheist architect told me that they first realized the importance of churches as buildings for this reason when they entered one in a mild anxiety attack. They are usually quiet due to thick walls, dim, with natural lights, and big open rooms. The same goes for most other religious buildings. So I definitely think this idea could work.
As these rooms would certainly be cheaper to rent than hotel rooms, one would have to find a way for people not to use them for reasons other than relaxing alone. That is for sex, as I can see them becoming overrun with teens, people having affairs or even prostitutes.
While having workers at the front desk to vent the visitors would raise the price significantly. It would also incline the business towards having multiple units next to each other to cut costs, not spread around the city so the property would be harder to get in the busy, noisy zones.
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jnikola2 years ago
I think the idea is great. Thinking somewhere quiet would significantly reduce the amount of stress, especially at work. In my lab, we have a small room between the laboratories where I usually go to make phone calls. Following my last thought, I found that quiet rooms are not so uncommon in workplaces (one, two, three). With slight modifications concerning vision stimulation and these could work just fine, plus, they are right where you need them - at work. What do you think? Could the alternatives to your idea be the quiet hubs that you can rent like those movable toilet cabinets at the festivals?
Contrived _voice Feb 03, 2022
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