Last Updated on July 9, 2026 by Staff
Low-frequency noise is something that we are all exposed to every day. It comes from things like ventilation systems, heat pumps, wind turbines and industrial machines. Some people do not even notice these sounds. Others find them really disturbing. They describe them as a hum or vibration that they can feel in their body.
For a time scientists have been trying to figure out why people react so differently to the same low-frequency sounds. Now a new study by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and University College London might have an answer. They found out that our brain processes low-frequency sounds in a way more than normal sounds. This could be why some people are more sensitive to low-frequency noise than others.
What Is Infrasound
Infrasound is a type of low-frequency sound that has a frequency of than 16 hertz. A lot of people think that we cannot hear these sounds because they are too low.. The researchers say that this is not entirely true. If the infrasound is strong enough we can detect it. If we hear it as a sound we might feel it as a vibration or pressure in our body.
We can find infrasound in things like wind turbines, heating and cooling systems and industrial machinery. It can also come from events like thunderstorms or earthquakes. Because people often describe infrasound as a feeling rather than a sound it has been hard to measure its effects.
A Different Hearing Process
Our hearing works because of hair cells in our inner ear. These cells turn vibrations into electrical signals that our brain can understand. The new research says that this process is different when it comes to low-frequency sounds.
The researchers found out that the hair cells in our ear are not good at detecting very low-frequency sounds. Instead another type of cell in our ear takes over. These cells usually help our brain control how sensitive our hearing is.. When we are exposed to infrasound they start to generate electrical signals that can activate our hearing nerves directly.
This means that our brain gets the signals from low-frequency sounds in a way that it gets signals from normal sounds.
Why It Feels Different
One of the interesting things about infrasound is that it feels different from normal sound. When hearing a clear tone people often describe low-frequency noise as a vibration or pressure. The researchers also found out that even small increases in pressure can make low-frequency sounds seem much louder than they really are.
This explains why some environmental noises can be annoying even if they are not very loud. The discovery helps us understand why low-frequency noise can feel like an experience rather than just a sound.
Why Some People Are More Sensitive
The study also tries to explain why some people are more sensitive to low-frequency noise than others. The researchers think that the way our ear processes infrasound might be different from person to person. Some people’s ears might be better at detecting low-frequency vibrations making them more aware of these sounds.
Others might not be as sensitive so they can ignore the sounds. This could be why some people get headaches or feel stressed when they are near wind turbines or industrial equipment while others do not.
Better Understanding for the Future
The discovery can help us understand how our hearing works and how it affects our health. It can also help engineers design quieter machines and appliances that do not make much low-frequency noise.
The findings might also improve the way we measure noise and identify people who are particularly sensitive to it. Importantly the study shows that low-frequency noise is real and that people who are sensitive to it are not just imagining things. It highlights that our hearing is more complex than we thought and that people can experience the sound in different ways because of how their brains process low-frequency noise.