College

Students and Their Elusive Silence

Stop! Put down the phone. Turn off the computer. Lower the music. Now,
listen to the glorious sound of mental and physical silence.
Nowadays, peoples' minds are absolutely bombarded with information,
noises, sights, and messages. Everyone has become so accustomed to this endless
stream of stimulation that most dont even realize its happening anymore. The
advertisements on benches, the colorful propaganda on coffee cups, and the
constant commercials all seem to go unnoticed by the average person.
In fact, these things are really only seen when one bothers to look up from
whatever device theyre using. In order to experience them, they must turn down
the music that theyre playing, glance away from whichever screen theyre fixated
on, or mute whatever the television blares in the background. It seems that although
theres a great deal of content and ads being jammed into the minds of the public,
this constant mental buzz is also somewhat self-inflicted.
A 2014 study done by Baylor University showed that college students in
particular were willingly succumbing to this endless stimulation. The online survey
of 164 college students showed that females spend approximately 10 hours a day on
their phone, and males spend about eight. The study also tracked the individual
activities of 24 cell phones. Although much of the time was spent answering emails
and texting, there also was a great deal of time spent checking up on social media
and looking for sources of entertainment. In fact, one male student claimed that
sometimes he went on his Twitter app just to waste time.
These eight to 10 hours account for an extremely large chunk of time in a
day, and this study doesnt even include other forms of time-wasting entertainment
and stimulation. These young adults often possess more than just their phone. When
they ride the bus, they wear an iPod to keep themselves from sitting in silence.
When there are commercials on television, they browse the Internet on their
laptops. When the assignments have ended, they flip on the gaming console and
embrace the cacophony of sounds emitting from their speakers. This never-ending
clamor brings about a question begging to be asked.
When is there time for quiet? When is there time for these college students to
turn off the gadgets, step away from the phone, and instead bask in the now
antiquated luxury that is silence?
Dr. Steve Taylor, a senior lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University who
holds a doctorate in Transpersonal Psychology, believes that these students, and
people in general, need to make the time. He wrote this observation in his article
The Power of Silence.
We dont have to fill our free time with attention absorbing distractions like
TV and computer games, which take us even further away from ourselves, wrote
Taylor. We should do the opposite: make sure there are some periods when our
attention isnt absorbed, when we can rest in silence, and make contact with our
true selves again.
Some college students, however, dont seem to want to quiet down. In fact,
they cant. They seem to be particularly guilty of deliberately drowning out the
silence with any one of their numerous devices. According to some sources, its not
that they have things to do, but rather, after being stimulated for so long and so
constantly, they feel strange not doing anything at all.
One college student said that she hasnt had quiet time for at least a year.
The time I actually dont have work to do, Im watching either YouTube or
Netflix, said an 18-year-old Molloy College student, Ryana Lefevre. The only time I
actually get peace and quiet is when I sleep.
An Alfred State College student, 18-year-old Brian Collins, said that he hates
the silence.
If Im in a room by myself and theres nothing on, Im sleeping, said Collins.
Theres no such thing as silence with me. Im either with friends or listening to
music or watching T.V.
Even Taylor noticed this phenomenon in his classes and discussed his
personal experience on the matter.
As a lecturer, I often notice students taking out their IPhones and cell
phones to check them (and I tell them to put them away), said Taylor. It seems to
be addiction which they have little control over.
This deliberate effort to drown out the quiet and have a forever-stimulated
mind is something thats been going on for years now, but the effects are beginning
to be discovered. In a world where people are still coming to terms with the
burgeoning media, its becoming clear just how valuable silence is to these young
people. Taylor expanded on this in his article.
It affects concentration and the ability to 'be, wrote Taylor. Devices create
a constant pull outwards which makes it more difficult for people to remain in
themselves - that is, to exist quietly in their own mental space.
Dr. Marilyn Price-Mitchell, who holds a degree in Human Development,
focused on adolescents in particular and claimed that silence is actually vital in the
development of the teenage mind. She writes in her article, The Importance of
Silence in a Noisy World, that there needs to be time to think, to sort out who they
are as people, and it seems that theres either no time or no desire to do that today.
The reason we should ask [why silence is golden], and encourage teens to
explore silent spaces, is because we know that self-reflection is important to human
development and learning, wrote Price-Mitchell. Adolescence is a time when
young people discover their unique identities. Tuning out the noisy world helps
young people develop the ability to reflect and grow.
One of the most inexplicable aspects of this phenomenon is that many
students are aware of this. They know that stepping away from their devices would
be beneficial, that sorting out their thoughts and settling their mind would be good
for their mental wellbeing, but some still choose to pick up their phone.
Sometimes I find myself checking my phone or turning on the T.V. even
when I dont have to, said a 19-year-old Adelphi student Charlene Eslis. I know
that there are days when I should take a break from the technology and quiet my
mind down, but it can be hard.
Another student said that he behaved similarly.
I rarely sit in silence and reflect on my day anymore, said 18-year-old St.
Johns student Nicholas Lande. Honestly, I sometimes feel consumed by technology.
It can feel like a drug. I need it the more that I use it, even though I know its not
always healthy.
Though there are countless students that succumb to the pressure of being
perpetually entertained, there are still a few of them that resist it. Some of them
claim that they actively seek out quiet, and that it helps them unwind from the stress
of the day.
It doesnt feel weird silencing my mind at all, said 18-year-old SUNY
Plattsburg student James Mahoney. I dont do it all the time, but there are some
days where I like to sit in silence and deal with everything. Its nice to get away from
the constant buzz of technology.
He said that doing this helps him calm his mind and de-stress, especially
after busy days. A Hofstra University student, 19-year-old Allison Eichler, echoed
Mahoney in a similar statement.
I love putting my phone and my laptop away, even though Im on them a
lot, said Eichler. Its like a breath of fresh air when I put all of it away and just
relax.
In addition to helping these students unwind, stepping away from their
devices and into the silence has benefits for their psychological health. Taylor claims
that he not only can see the difference between students who choose to embrace the
quiet, but also talks of the positive affects it has on their mental state.
There aren't many who embrace the quiet, but those I have met have been
brighter and more inquisitive, and seemingly more at ease with themselves, said
Taylor. There is a sense of ease and well-being that comes when one is quiet.
Quietness leads to a fading of mental agitation.
Clearly, there are quite a few advantages to silencing the mind, but when do
college students actually have a chance to do it? Between assignments, tests, clubs,
work, social lives, and the ever-coveted sleep, there doesnt seem to be a large time
frame to squeeze in quiet. These students advice is to find the time in the most
unlikely of situations. An 18-year-old Stevenson University student, Jonathan
Kuchinskas, said that he takes very long showers to try and quiet his mind, and a 19-
year-old Cooper Union student Emily Jannace said that she uses her Monday
morning laundry time to inject some silence back into her life.
Mental silence is obviously vital to the minds health and a persons
wellbeing, as explained by numerous college students and certified psychologists.
Regardless of whether a person is a student or not, its extremely important to
power down the devices, make time for the quiet and bask in its advantageous
effects.



How to Add Quiet Into Your Daily Life
_________________________________________________
Diconnect
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NATURE QUIET MEDITATION
Use your spare
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electronics. This go for a walk or devices to check and think of
will help you not a hike in nature. emails, respond something
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thoughts, but only be news. Instead, ocean. If your
also allow you to soothing, but the eat your thoughts
process them solitary nature of breakfast and wander, gently
and let them go, the activity will perk up in guide them back
affectively help you silence silence, mentally and refocus. This
quieting your the mind. preparing brief process can
mind. yourself for the significantly
day ahead. quiet the mind.

References:

Price-Mitchell, Marilyn. "The Importance of Silence in a Noisy World." The Moment
of Youth (2013): Pyschologytoday.com. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

Taylor, Steve. "The Power of Silence." Out of the Darkness (2012):
Psychologytoday.com. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

Wood, Janice. College Students In Study Spend 8 to 10 Hours Daily on Cell Phone.
(2014): Psychcentral.com. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

Parry, Liz. "The Sound of Silence." Thedailymind.com. 12 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Apr.
2015.

May, Matthew E. "Quick and Easy Ways to Quiet Your Mind." Harvard Business
Review. Harvard Business Publishing, 24 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.