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Date: | Tue, 9 Sep 2003 15:33:00 -0700 |
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The Guardian [London] / andante - 9 September 2003
Scientists recently used a concert of contemporary music at
London's Purcell Room to test the effects of inaudible vibrations
on humans, the Guardian of London reports.
The researchers hypothesized that "infrasound" below the range
of human hearing - which can be produced by an organ - could
provoke physical or emotional responses. "Some people have
suggested the presence of infrasound is causing unusual experiences
in sites that are allegedly haunted," psychologist Richard Wiseman
told the newspaper. "Some organ pipes in churches and cathedrals
produce infrasound and this could lead to people having very
weird experiences within church and attributing it to God."
To test these theories, scientists added infrasound to a program
of contemporary music by Philip Glass, Arvo Part, Debussy and
others. They then asked audience members to fill out a questionnaire
reporting on "unusual experiences" during the concert. The
pieces incorporating infrasound provoked 22 percent more such
experiences, said Wiseman, including "shivering on [the] wrist,
an odd feeling in the stomach, increased heart rate, feeling
very anxious, [or] a sudden memory of an emotional loss."
Janos Gereben/SF
www.sfcv.org
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