But why does this matter? Why is this interesting? Would it be better if I told you that the human's hearing range is from 20-20,000 Hz? That's right, binaural beats are sounds created outside of your normal hearing range!
Now, since the sounds you hear are out of your hearing range, they have various effects on your brain. Each frequency has a different effect of the brain, but overall, they allow your brain to invoke different desired emotional states, as well as deep meditative states. Here are the different types of sound waves created:
Beta (13-26 Hz) Alert concentration and problem-solving
Alpha (8-13 Hz) Alert relaxation
Theta (4-7 Hz) Deep relaxation and increased learning
Delta (1-3 Hz) Deep sleep
Therefore, binaural beats influence the brain, in ways other than just hearing. This phenomenon is known as the "frequency following response". This means that if one frequency is presented to the brainwaves, the rest of the brainwaves will move to function at an increase of this amount (like in the first example).
Binaural beats work best when using headphones, because it helps the frequencies to be separated. The effects may not work, or be as apparent when using loudspeakers. They are only effective when listened to at low volumes, and while having no distractions. Many forms of binaural beats are paired with music to increase relaxation. They create a "pulsing" sound, so it sounds like the noises are bouncing back and forth from ear to ear, but these are just the 2 different frequencies. The real binaural beat cannot be heard, since it being created by the brain. Here is a short sample of a binaural beat creating frequency pair [don't worry this has no effect on your brain, it just allows you to hear the pulsing :)]
Article: http://www.mindmotivations.com/resources/articles/binaural-beats-what-are-they-amp-how-do-they-work
That is so cool, how our brain can create this sound.
ReplyDeleteSo do use binaural beats sometimes? I tried it in 8th grade, and it's helpful but made me really sleepy.
I must be in delta mode a lot.
ReplyDeleteThe way our brain works to splice these sounds together is really interesting. Are there real-world or medical applications for binaural beats?
ReplyDeleteWow this is a really interesting article. I never knew that binaural beats could influence the brain in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty interesting, how these binaural beats can affect the brain in so many ways. Do you think that people could use the beta and theta binaural beats to help children learn at school?
ReplyDeleteHere is another example. I listened for a while, and I kind of liked it.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX_xgkv9MT8
I find this so cool, how our these beats can put you in different states of mind. I didnt know anything about this topic, but it sounds so interesting!
ReplyDeleteI love binaural beats! Especially the type of beats used in spa and salon settings to invoke calming emotions. It is interesting to see how beats effect the brain. Would it be possible for binaural beats to be a form of stress relief to promote a "deep meditative state" in the brain and cause people to find a stress free area in their brain to concentrate on through the binaural beats?
ReplyDelete