Sounds of Silence: Why Is Sound Rare in Early Recollections?

By far, the first memories of life are without sound.

Reviewed by Lybi Ma

Key points

• The vast majority of early recollections occur in silence.
• A small percentage of people experience sound in their first memories.
• Those who remember sound in their early memories have an orientation to sound in life.
• While hearing may often be taken for granted, the endowment contributes to an enrichment of life and survival.

An intriguing aspect of the early memories is that remembrances seem to emerge into consciousness in silence. Recalling an early recollection can be like watching an old silent movie. While this may be the case, it does not suggest that the sense of hearing is not highly valued for those who do not have sound in their recollections. Instead, persons with an auditory first memory have a "sound-minded" orientation in life.

An early recollection involving sound was shared with me by Judy, a 90-year-old resident of a rural country setting. She related a first memory from the late 1930s, "I remember being on my parent's front porch and hearing the clanging of milk pails. My grandfather was in the barn, and I wanted to get up and look. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to because it was so early in the morning." I asked about any additional details relating to the memory and Judy said, "My grandfather seemed to be walking towards the porch from the barn." She added that the most important part of her memory was the sound of the pails clanging together as he walked. At that point, Judy stated that she was "happy and I wish that I was with him."

The blissful and optimistic quality of the memory is evident. Importantly, the sensory modality of sound contributes to its richness and vitality. When able to visit her place in the woods, Judy shared that she, "sits outside and listens to nothing other than what may be animals scurrying around or to the owls and frogs. It is so pleasant." Judy also spoke of the allure of hearing a crackling fire, windchimes, rain on a tin roof, a wind-up clock, and birds chirping. Judy is a retired secretary. When she worked in the office, Judy always "had a radio on and could hear no one else due to the low volume of the radio. This helped me avoid being distracted by other noises in the room."

For Judy, the sensory modality of hearing is inseparable from her way of being. At the same time, for those of us who may not experience sound in our first memories, her memory is a reminder not to take our aural endowment for granted. There is beauty and emotional depth in the auditory capacity for personal enrichment. Listening to the joyful laugh of a dear friend, hearing a favorite song, attuning to the gentle sounds of nature, and so much more contribute to satisfaction in life. At the same time, jarring and invasive sounds in one's environment are all too frequent. While this is also true for Judy, she continues to find solace and comfort in the sounds at hand (or at ear) that reflect her experience in an early recollection from a long time ago.