We have all heard the Star Wars soundtrack once in our lives, and even if you haven’t seen the films, the sound track is so distinct that everyone will know it belongs to Star Wars.

Why is that?

How are sounds universal?

Why do we react to sounds differently?

How do we feel when we hear a siren or fire alarm versus when we hear the sound of a cat purring?

Sound is universal and all around us: when we shop, when we drive, when we are out and about in the city, when we go for a walk, when we watch a film… sound is one of the five senses and it has the ability to move us to tears or laugh from joy. As interactive people, we use sound as communication. Sounds also change according to context and surroundings. The sounds in lecture theatres, with the lecturers voice, the occasional vibration of phones, the buzz of the lights is completely different to the loud hustle and construction on Swanston Street.

Advertisers and Film makers use music as a tool to direct audiences. There are songs that pull us to different stores, i.e loud or bass songs for teens and calmer tunes for the older shoppers. Sound has become so incorporated in our lives, that by social constructs and physical reactions we learn how to react to different sounds. When we hear a fire alarm, our heart starts racing and our fight flight response is activated. This is best explained in the speech given by Julian Treasure, linked below.

I guess a part of understanding sound is being moved by it and truly listening to it. We often hear sound, but listening to it makes it more meaningful. I hear birds chirping every morning but only when i listen to it do I notice the unique sounds birds produce. Let us all learn to listen with our ears and hearts, being able to do that is a privelege we often overlook. The next time you hear a train horn, a bird chirp or even the police siren when they pull you over, think about what you are listening to and how miraculous our senses are.