How Noise Impacts our Brain, Health and Nature | Chris Berdik

Noise is more than just an irritation; it’s a global health and environmental issue. In this episode, we welcome Chris Berdik, science journalist and author of Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back. We explore how noise affects the body and brain, from sleep disruption and stress responses to hearing loss, dementia risk, and learning difficulties.

We also talk about why designing better soundscapes (in schools, workplaces, hospitals, and cities) is essential for public health, productivity, and even wildlife survival.
This episode offers deep insights for anyone interested in health, neuroscience or urban planning, revealing why it’s time to take noise seriously and how we can build healthier soundscapes for the future.

More from Chris Berdik: chrisberdik.com/clamor

#NoisePollution #HealthAndWellness #Neuroscience #UrbanDesign #Soundscapes #HearingHealth #EnvironmentalHealth #BrainScience #PublicHealth
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Timestamps
00:00:00 In this episode of Neuroscience and Beyond
00:00:29 Introduction
00:01:00 Chris Berdik’s journey into science journalism and noise research
00:07:30 What is noise?
00:10:45 Health Effects of Noise
00:14:00 Hearing and Dementia
00:15:30 Are we adapting to noise?
0017:00 Noise sensitivity: why even “deep sleepers” are affected
00:19:01 Noise and learning: classrooms and distraction
00:20:00 The auditory midbrain and early literacy
00:22:29 Open offices: productivity, distraction distance, and noise design
00:27:20 White noise, focus, and the science of masking sound
00:29:55 Hearing damage: how loud sound injures hair cells and neurons
00:38:25 Hearing protection as the “new sunscreen”
00:40:11 Noise and nature: wildlife, whales, and shrinking sensory worlds
00:50:00 Green Spaces and Soundscapes
00:53:50 Limerick, Ireland: redefining “quiet spaces” in cities
01:01:50 Noise inequality and environmental justice
01:05:29 Sound solutions: from restaurants to hospitals
01:15:42 Key message from Clamor

Supported by the International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences in #Göttingen, the European Neuroscience Institute, Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging, as well as SFB1286

Neuroscience and Beyond team:
Svilen Georgiev
Kristina Jevdokimenko
Ahsen Konaç Sayıcı
Mels Akhmetali
Laura van Agen