How to Reconnect with Silence and Focus?
Naturally talkative and a lover of the noise of a crowd, I also have a deep fondness for ultra-quiet morning routines.
Understand
1 oct. 2025
7 min
As I reflected on this contrast, I began to wonder what silence actually means in today’s world. Is it the absence of noise in the literal sense, or rather a reduction in stimulation? Whatever the case, it seems to be an endangered species.
⚔️ The Assault on Silence
Nature is capable of producing sounds of unimaginable intensity. In 1883, the eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia produced a noise of 276 decibels — that’s 4 trillion times louder than a jackhammer. Yikes. It remains the loudest sound ever recorded on Earth. Even 5,000 kilometers away, sailors heard the explosion as if it were a cannon fired from a nearby ship.
1888 lithograph
In the shadow of such natural extremes, humanity is conducting its own assault on silence. As early as 1945, Aldous Huxley wrote in The Perennial Philosophy:
“The twentieth century is, among other things, the age of noise. Physical noise, mental noise, and noise of desire—we hold history’s record for all of them.”
Prophetic words: silence does seem to be on the brink of extinction.
Bioacoustician Gordon Hempton has spent 35 years exploring the Earth to find quiet places—locations where only the sounds of nature can be heard. According to him, only about 50 such zones remain where no human-made noise can be heard for 15 consecutive minutes.
The silence hunter
Originally, our auditory system evolved to detect sounds that gave us vital information about our environment. Listening meant a better chance of finding food or anticipating danger. So humans internalized this drive for new stimuli: it was the best way to survive.
Instinctively, the brain remains on high alert to make sure we don’t miss anything important. This internal radar made perfect sense when our environment was low on information (99.9% of human history). Back then, noise captured our attention only occasionally—and meaningfully.
Today, that craving for noise and stimulation is being masterfully exploited by the attention economy, which continues to multiply its techniques at breakneck speed. Civilization’s new noise isn’t just auditory (planes, trains, factories, etc.). It also includes the digital racket: notifications, emails, videos, ads, and so on.
In 2024, we’re on a constant drip feed. Every available moment is fertile ground for inserting more information. The result: creeping info-obesity, which far exceeds our brain’s processing bandwidth.
“We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.” — Edward O. Wilson
We’re now exposed to more information in a few hours than our ancestors encountered in an entire lifetime.
From the Neolithic to the Digital Age
This constant background noise has made us forget how to be silent and introspective.
🔊 We Can’t Live Without Noise Anymore
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” — Blaise Pascal
Here lies the trap: technology may have started the assault on silence, but our habits are what sustain and amplify it. Our ancestral instinct has turned against us. The brain has gotten used to this constant IV drip of stimulation—and it clings to it more and more desperately.
What was once a natural search for stimuli has morphed into a relentless pursuit of distraction. We can no longer tolerate stillness, silence, or being alone with our thoughts. The surrounding noise no longer registers—we’ve grown used to it. Passing cars and background music in bars or supermarkets fade into the background. We need louder, more stimulating noise.
This is a deep-seated strategy for avoiding the void. We’re getting worse at dealing with it. At the slightest hint of boredom or downtime, we instinctively grab our phones. A digital soundtrack follows us on every trip, in every room—even in the bathroom.
These reflexive micro-interactions have hijacked our reward circuit. Always on alert, we fill silence with digital self-stimulation. Once our best ally, the brain can become our worst enemy: the more we give in to these distractions, the more it demands. This state of urgency is everywhere—at work, on the street, at home. Moments of real silence have become rare.
The accumulation creates mental fog, a sense of overload that clouds our thinking. And it makes sense: artificial noise triggers all our stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline…), raising bodily tension and draining our mental energy. Since our auditory system is fundamentally an alert system, it’s not designed to run nonstop. Without breaks from noise and stimulation, we pay the price. It’s only when we intentionally step into true silence that we realize how freeing it is.
Silence is precious but increasingly rare: silence is golden, but silence sleeps.
As I reflected on this contrast, I began to wonder what silence actually means in today’s world. Is it the absence of noise in the literal sense, or rather a reduction in stimulation? Whatever the case, it seems to be an endangered species.
⚔️ The Assault on Silence
Nature is capable of producing sounds of unimaginable intensity. In 1883, the eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia produced a noise of 276 decibels — that’s 4 trillion times louder than a jackhammer. Yikes. It remains the loudest sound ever recorded on Earth. Even 5,000 kilometers away, sailors heard the explosion as if it were a cannon fired from a nearby ship.
1888 lithograph
In the shadow of such natural extremes, humanity is conducting its own assault on silence. As early as 1945, Aldous Huxley wrote in The Perennial Philosophy:
“The twentieth century is, among other things, the age of noise. Physical noise, mental noise, and noise of desire—we hold history’s record for all of them.”
Prophetic words: silence does seem to be on the brink of extinction.
Bioacoustician Gordon Hempton has spent 35 years exploring the Earth to find quiet places—locations where only the sounds of nature can be heard. According to him, only about 50 such zones remain where no human-made noise can be heard for 15 consecutive minutes.
The silence hunter
Originally, our auditory system evolved to detect sounds that gave us vital information about our environment. Listening meant a better chance of finding food or anticipating danger. So humans internalized this drive for new stimuli: it was the best way to survive.
Instinctively, the brain remains on high alert to make sure we don’t miss anything important. This internal radar made perfect sense when our environment was low on information (99.9% of human history). Back then, noise captured our attention only occasionally—and meaningfully.
Today, that craving for noise and stimulation is being masterfully exploited by the attention economy, which continues to multiply its techniques at breakneck speed. Civilization’s new noise isn’t just auditory (planes, trains, factories, etc.). It also includes the digital racket: notifications, emails, videos, ads, and so on.
In 2024, we’re on a constant drip feed. Every available moment is fertile ground for inserting more information. The result: creeping info-obesity, which far exceeds our brain’s processing bandwidth.
“We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.” — Edward O. Wilson
We’re now exposed to more information in a few hours than our ancestors encountered in an entire lifetime.
From the Neolithic to the Digital Age
This constant background noise has made us forget how to be silent and introspective.
🔊 We Can’t Live Without Noise Anymore
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” — Blaise Pascal
Here lies the trap: technology may have started the assault on silence, but our habits are what sustain and amplify it. Our ancestral instinct has turned against us. The brain has gotten used to this constant IV drip of stimulation—and it clings to it more and more desperately.
What was once a natural search for stimuli has morphed into a relentless pursuit of distraction. We can no longer tolerate stillness, silence, or being alone with our thoughts. The surrounding noise no longer registers—we’ve grown used to it. Passing cars and background music in bars or supermarkets fade into the background. We need louder, more stimulating noise.
This is a deep-seated strategy for avoiding the void. We’re getting worse at dealing with it. At the slightest hint of boredom or downtime, we instinctively grab our phones. A digital soundtrack follows us on every trip, in every room—even in the bathroom.
These reflexive micro-interactions have hijacked our reward circuit. Always on alert, we fill silence with digital self-stimulation. Once our best ally, the brain can become our worst enemy: the more we give in to these distractions, the more it demands. This state of urgency is everywhere—at work, on the street, at home. Moments of real silence have become rare.
The accumulation creates mental fog, a sense of overload that clouds our thinking. And it makes sense: artificial noise triggers all our stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline…), raising bodily tension and draining our mental energy. Since our auditory system is fundamentally an alert system, it’s not designed to run nonstop. Without breaks from noise and stimulation, we pay the price. It’s only when we intentionally step into true silence that we realize how freeing it is.
Silence is precious but increasingly rare: silence is golden, but silence sleeps.
As I reflected on this contrast, I began to wonder what silence actually means in today’s world. Is it the absence of noise in the literal sense, or rather a reduction in stimulation? Whatever the case, it seems to be an endangered species.
⚔️ The Assault on Silence
Nature is capable of producing sounds of unimaginable intensity. In 1883, the eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia produced a noise of 276 decibels — that’s 4 trillion times louder than a jackhammer. Yikes. It remains the loudest sound ever recorded on Earth. Even 5,000 kilometers away, sailors heard the explosion as if it were a cannon fired from a nearby ship.
1888 lithograph
In the shadow of such natural extremes, humanity is conducting its own assault on silence. As early as 1945, Aldous Huxley wrote in The Perennial Philosophy:
“The twentieth century is, among other things, the age of noise. Physical noise, mental noise, and noise of desire—we hold history’s record for all of them.”
Prophetic words: silence does seem to be on the brink of extinction.
Bioacoustician Gordon Hempton has spent 35 years exploring the Earth to find quiet places—locations where only the sounds of nature can be heard. According to him, only about 50 such zones remain where no human-made noise can be heard for 15 consecutive minutes.
The silence hunter
Originally, our auditory system evolved to detect sounds that gave us vital information about our environment. Listening meant a better chance of finding food or anticipating danger. So humans internalized this drive for new stimuli: it was the best way to survive.
Instinctively, the brain remains on high alert to make sure we don’t miss anything important. This internal radar made perfect sense when our environment was low on information (99.9% of human history). Back then, noise captured our attention only occasionally—and meaningfully.
Today, that craving for noise and stimulation is being masterfully exploited by the attention economy, which continues to multiply its techniques at breakneck speed. Civilization’s new noise isn’t just auditory (planes, trains, factories, etc.). It also includes the digital racket: notifications, emails, videos, ads, and so on.
In 2024, we’re on a constant drip feed. Every available moment is fertile ground for inserting more information. The result: creeping info-obesity, which far exceeds our brain’s processing bandwidth.
“We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.” — Edward O. Wilson
We’re now exposed to more information in a few hours than our ancestors encountered in an entire lifetime.
From the Neolithic to the Digital Age
This constant background noise has made us forget how to be silent and introspective.
🔊 We Can’t Live Without Noise Anymore
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” — Blaise Pascal
Here lies the trap: technology may have started the assault on silence, but our habits are what sustain and amplify it. Our ancestral instinct has turned against us. The brain has gotten used to this constant IV drip of stimulation—and it clings to it more and more desperately.
What was once a natural search for stimuli has morphed into a relentless pursuit of distraction. We can no longer tolerate stillness, silence, or being alone with our thoughts. The surrounding noise no longer registers—we’ve grown used to it. Passing cars and background music in bars or supermarkets fade into the background. We need louder, more stimulating noise.
This is a deep-seated strategy for avoiding the void. We’re getting worse at dealing with it. At the slightest hint of boredom or downtime, we instinctively grab our phones. A digital soundtrack follows us on every trip, in every room—even in the bathroom.
These reflexive micro-interactions have hijacked our reward circuit. Always on alert, we fill silence with digital self-stimulation. Once our best ally, the brain can become our worst enemy: the more we give in to these distractions, the more it demands. This state of urgency is everywhere—at work, on the street, at home. Moments of real silence have become rare.
The accumulation creates mental fog, a sense of overload that clouds our thinking. And it makes sense: artificial noise triggers all our stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline…), raising bodily tension and draining our mental energy. Since our auditory system is fundamentally an alert system, it’s not designed to run nonstop. Without breaks from noise and stimulation, we pay the price. It’s only when we intentionally step into true silence that we realize how freeing it is.
Silence is precious but increasingly rare: silence is golden, but silence sleeps.
Votre téléphone, vos règles. Bloquez ce que vous voulez, quand vous voulez.
Pour 30 minutes
Tous les jours
Le week-end
Pendant les heures de travail
De 22h à 8h
Pour 7 jours
Tout le temps
Votre téléphone, vos règles. Bloquez ce que vous voulez, quand vous voulez.
Pour 30 minutes
Tous les jours
Le week-end
Pendant les heures de travail
De 22h à 8h
Pour 7 jours
Tout le temps
Votre téléphone, vos règles. Bloquez ce que vous voulez, quand vous voulez.
Pour 30 minutes
Tous les jours
Le week-end
Pendant les heures de travail
De 22h à 8h
Pour 7 jours
Tout le temps
🧠 Silence is Power
In Japanese, the word shizuka means “silent,” but also “calm, serene, soothing.” The connection is clear.
According to Michel Le Van Quyen, the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in when we’re in silence: the brain shifts into a state that promotes relaxation, stress reduction, and regeneration. A 2013 study on mice even found that prolonged silence led to “neurogenesis,” the formation of new neurons. Without constant interference, calm allows us to tap into our creative potential. It fosters reflection and perspective.
Far from being empty, silence holds a certain density. The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel) helps us hear the faint signals of our inner world more clearly. Perhaps silence is where the essential becomes most distinct.
That’s exactly what Sylvain Tesson describes in his book The Art of Patience (Sur les chemins noirs), where he recounts his recovery after a serious accident, through walking and silence.
Jean Dujardin playing Sylvain Tesson in the film adaptation
Gordon Hempton once said that silence is “a think tank for the soul.” He added:
“Silence is not the absence of something, but the presence of everything.”
Not all noise is created equal, of course: the sound of laughter or a bird isn’t the same kind of brain food as a scroll of TikTok videos with sped-up music. This is one of the great challenges of our modern era—quieting the machine to hear the human again. And like anything rare and precious, silence is being commodified.
A Phone-Free Weekend in a Digital Detox Cabin Near London
“Silent travel” is emerging in response to this never-ending noise. Unplugged offers 3-day nature retreats for employees, couples, and solo travelers. Other companies have boomed, like Loop Earplugs, which sold 5 million next-gen earplugs in 2023. Their motto? Your Life, Your Volume. We should seek the level of calm, peace of mind, and serenity that truly suits us.
🔔 Vary the Decibels
The photo below shows an anechoic chamber, where sound levels drop to a mind-blowing 15 decibels.
Anechoic chamber at the Centre Pompidou in Paris
The silence is so intense that you can hear your own body—your heartbeat, your bones creaking. It’s full-on introspection. Staying in this space can be painful, anxiety-inducing, even hallucinatory. Brave visitors last about 20 minutes on average. Absolute silence, then, is a fantasy. What we should aim for is at least a reduction in sound layers.
Today, digital noise is often a top layer. That’s why I make a point of creating small moments of digital silence each day:
A walk without music in my ears
A lunch without watching YouTube
A workout without a podcast
I’m committed to making daily space for offline, airplane-mode moments. It’s an act of resistance—and a way to protect my brain and mental clarity. Choosing not to be constantly stimulated. Decibels, decided. Temporarily stepping out—even for a few minutes—from the digital whirlpool. And I enjoy both my moments of restlessness, which some might call hyperactivity, and my moments of silent introspection. I believe it’s more important than ever to cultivate oases of calm.
A new lens for thinking about our relationship with technology—and reclaiming our sovereignty over it. You do have the right to remain silent.
“I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me.” — Albert Einstein
And if you’re struggling to resist temptation, we’ve got the perfect tool to help: Jomo, available for free on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. With Jomo, you can temporarily block apps to stop yourself from accessing them so easily. In this case, you can schedule “Sessions” to disconnect during specific times—like in the morning, in the evening, or during your lunch break.
Setting up a session in Jomo is super simple:
Go to the “Rules” tab
Tap the ”+” > Recurring Session
Choose your time interval, select the apps you want to block, and hit confirm!
🧠 Silence is Power
In Japanese, the word shizuka means “silent,” but also “calm, serene, soothing.” The connection is clear.
According to Michel Le Van Quyen, the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in when we’re in silence: the brain shifts into a state that promotes relaxation, stress reduction, and regeneration. A 2013 study on mice even found that prolonged silence led to “neurogenesis,” the formation of new neurons. Without constant interference, calm allows us to tap into our creative potential. It fosters reflection and perspective.
Far from being empty, silence holds a certain density. The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel) helps us hear the faint signals of our inner world more clearly. Perhaps silence is where the essential becomes most distinct.
That’s exactly what Sylvain Tesson describes in his book The Art of Patience (Sur les chemins noirs), where he recounts his recovery after a serious accident, through walking and silence.
Jean Dujardin playing Sylvain Tesson in the film adaptation
Gordon Hempton once said that silence is “a think tank for the soul.” He added:
“Silence is not the absence of something, but the presence of everything.”
Not all noise is created equal, of course: the sound of laughter or a bird isn’t the same kind of brain food as a scroll of TikTok videos with sped-up music. This is one of the great challenges of our modern era—quieting the machine to hear the human again. And like anything rare and precious, silence is being commodified.
A Phone-Free Weekend in a Digital Detox Cabin Near London
“Silent travel” is emerging in response to this never-ending noise. Unplugged offers 3-day nature retreats for employees, couples, and solo travelers. Other companies have boomed, like Loop Earplugs, which sold 5 million next-gen earplugs in 2023. Their motto? Your Life, Your Volume. We should seek the level of calm, peace of mind, and serenity that truly suits us.
🔔 Vary the Decibels
The photo below shows an anechoic chamber, where sound levels drop to a mind-blowing 15 decibels.
Anechoic chamber at the Centre Pompidou in Paris
The silence is so intense that you can hear your own body—your heartbeat, your bones creaking. It’s full-on introspection. Staying in this space can be painful, anxiety-inducing, even hallucinatory. Brave visitors last about 20 minutes on average. Absolute silence, then, is a fantasy. What we should aim for is at least a reduction in sound layers.
Today, digital noise is often a top layer. That’s why I make a point of creating small moments of digital silence each day:
A walk without music in my ears
A lunch without watching YouTube
A workout without a podcast
I’m committed to making daily space for offline, airplane-mode moments. It’s an act of resistance—and a way to protect my brain and mental clarity. Choosing not to be constantly stimulated. Decibels, decided. Temporarily stepping out—even for a few minutes—from the digital whirlpool. And I enjoy both my moments of restlessness, which some might call hyperactivity, and my moments of silent introspection. I believe it’s more important than ever to cultivate oases of calm.
A new lens for thinking about our relationship with technology—and reclaiming our sovereignty over it. You do have the right to remain silent.
“I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me.” — Albert Einstein
And if you’re struggling to resist temptation, we’ve got the perfect tool to help: Jomo, available for free on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. With Jomo, you can temporarily block apps to stop yourself from accessing them so easily. In this case, you can schedule “Sessions” to disconnect during specific times—like in the morning, in the evening, or during your lunch break.
Setting up a session in Jomo is super simple:
Go to the “Rules” tab
Tap the ”+” > Recurring Session
Choose your time interval, select the apps you want to block, and hit confirm!
🧠 Silence is Power
In Japanese, the word shizuka means “silent,” but also “calm, serene, soothing.” The connection is clear.
According to Michel Le Van Quyen, the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in when we’re in silence: the brain shifts into a state that promotes relaxation, stress reduction, and regeneration. A 2013 study on mice even found that prolonged silence led to “neurogenesis,” the formation of new neurons. Without constant interference, calm allows us to tap into our creative potential. It fosters reflection and perspective.
Far from being empty, silence holds a certain density. The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel) helps us hear the faint signals of our inner world more clearly. Perhaps silence is where the essential becomes most distinct.
That’s exactly what Sylvain Tesson describes in his book The Art of Patience (Sur les chemins noirs), where he recounts his recovery after a serious accident, through walking and silence.
Jean Dujardin playing Sylvain Tesson in the film adaptation
Gordon Hempton once said that silence is “a think tank for the soul.” He added:
“Silence is not the absence of something, but the presence of everything.”
Not all noise is created equal, of course: the sound of laughter or a bird isn’t the same kind of brain food as a scroll of TikTok videos with sped-up music. This is one of the great challenges of our modern era—quieting the machine to hear the human again. And like anything rare and precious, silence is being commodified.
A Phone-Free Weekend in a Digital Detox Cabin Near London
“Silent travel” is emerging in response to this never-ending noise. Unplugged offers 3-day nature retreats for employees, couples, and solo travelers. Other companies have boomed, like Loop Earplugs, which sold 5 million next-gen earplugs in 2023. Their motto? Your Life, Your Volume. We should seek the level of calm, peace of mind, and serenity that truly suits us.
🔔 Vary the Decibels
The photo below shows an anechoic chamber, where sound levels drop to a mind-blowing 15 decibels.
Anechoic chamber at the Centre Pompidou in Paris
The silence is so intense that you can hear your own body—your heartbeat, your bones creaking. It’s full-on introspection. Staying in this space can be painful, anxiety-inducing, even hallucinatory. Brave visitors last about 20 minutes on average. Absolute silence, then, is a fantasy. What we should aim for is at least a reduction in sound layers.
Today, digital noise is often a top layer. That’s why I make a point of creating small moments of digital silence each day:
A walk without music in my ears
A lunch without watching YouTube
A workout without a podcast
I’m committed to making daily space for offline, airplane-mode moments. It’s an act of resistance—and a way to protect my brain and mental clarity. Choosing not to be constantly stimulated. Decibels, decided. Temporarily stepping out—even for a few minutes—from the digital whirlpool. And I enjoy both my moments of restlessness, which some might call hyperactivity, and my moments of silent introspection. I believe it’s more important than ever to cultivate oases of calm.
A new lens for thinking about our relationship with technology—and reclaiming our sovereignty over it. You do have the right to remain silent.
“I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me.” — Albert Einstein
And if you’re struggling to resist temptation, we’ve got the perfect tool to help: Jomo, available for free on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. With Jomo, you can temporarily block apps to stop yourself from accessing them so easily. In this case, you can schedule “Sessions” to disconnect during specific times—like in the morning, in the evening, or during your lunch break.
Setting up a session in Jomo is super simple:
Go to the “Rules” tab
Tap the ”+” > Recurring Session
Choose your time interval, select the apps you want to block, and hit confirm!
Credits
This article is a revised version of Edition #25 of the Screenbreak newsletter created by Julien Rousset. With his permission, we're sharing this high-quality content with you today! So many thanks to Julien. 😌
Photographies by Unsplash, Dall-e, ScreenBreak and the Internet.
[1] Eswaran - Don’t Underestimate the Power of Silence, HBR, 2021.
[2] Kleeman- Silent travel is the wellness trend we're obsessing over this year, Condé Nast Traveller, 2024.
[3] Les Arpenteurs - Le silence, un luxe en voie de disparition ?, Usbek & Rica, 2018.
[4] New Scientist - Le pouvoir du silence, Courrier International, 2022.
[5] Volpe - How to be alone with your thoughts, Vox, 2024.
[6] Esile - The Power of Silence: Try It Today, Lisa Esile, 2023.
[7] Zarachowicz Tom Haugomat - Comment le monde actuel a privatisé le silence, Télérama, 2016.
[8] Pacaud - Anthropophonie, ou l’extinction des sons, Switch in Paper, 2021.
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The Joy Of Missing Out
Développé en Europe
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The Joy Of Missing Out
Développé en Europe
Tous droits réservés à Jomo SAS, 2025
The Joy Of Missing Out
Développé en Europe
Tous droits réservés à Jomo SAS, 2025