Glue his ear to a seashell. Young or old, we have all done it before. To hear the sound of the sea and remind us a little of the sweetness of the holidays. But is it really the memory of its original environment that the shell restores to us?
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How is it possible that a shellfish keep in mind the sound of the waves on the pier? The answer is simple. But it risks disappointing the most romantic. It is simply not possible. The sounds we perceive when we stick our ear to a shell are therefore not those of the sea.
In reality, the shell – like any hollow and closed cylindrical object – acts as a sounding board. In other words, it amplifies the sounds that enter it. Those which arrive at the opening of the cavity are reflected on the more or less smooth and hard walls of the shell. And depending on the shape and dimensions of it, the sound perceived by our ear will be different. Thus, will it be more serious for a larger cavity.
Seashells amplify the sound of life
As for the origin of this noise which reverberates on the walls of the shell while it is glued to our ear, it is attributed to our own blood circulation. And we hear it all the better because the gesture somewhat isolates our ear from sounds from outside. It is also enough to move the shell away from or bring it closer to our ear to cause variations in this regular purring.
And if this humming reminds us of the sound of the sea, it is undoubtedly by association of ideas. Finally, it is the shell that brings us back to our vacation. Because notice that the experience can as well be lived by appending a simple mustard glass to your ear or just your hand. people suffering frompulsatile tinnitus — due to a high blood pressurea heart murmur or a inflammation of the ear — they hear these noises all the time.
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