Why Is The Music So Loud?
Everyone has different preferences and criteria of judgement, but Our goal as a Team is to try to create an environment where people can fully engage in the experience of worshiping our living God and Savior. The leadership at Faith has expressed this by making one of our church “Ministry Buckets”, “A Dynamic Worship Experience”. This means we want our worship to be lively and active. To help achieve this goal, we turn up the volume sometimes understanding the following science in sensory stimulation.
Sacculus:
Found in the inner ear is the Sacculus (pronounced as sack-you-less) that has direct connections to pleasure centers in the brain. It releases endorphins when stimulated by loud music, so listening to loud music is essentially self-medicating. The Sacculus particularly likes low frequencies above 90 decibels, according to the research of Dr. Neil Todd.
Loud music encourages joy.
Frisson:
Getting chills when listening to music is called frisson (pronounced like free-son) and it happens when dopamine floods the body. People who react to music have strong connections between the part of the brain that interprets sound and the part that creates emotion. Valorie Salimpoor, a neuroscientist at McGill University, has conducted research where the subject was hooked up to a fMRI machine while listening to music. It was shown that our brains release dopamine on peak moments in the song. And that’s not all. She also discovered that, when listening to songs we already know, the anticipation of peak moments triggered dopamine release as well. Higher volumes created higher levels of frisson, flattening off around 97dBA.
Loud music helps you feel the music and not just hear it.
Our Response
“Church Tech Today” states that most modern churches in the US run at sound levels of 80-93 dBA. Some of our area local churches tend to peak at 95-100 dBA. Our target is 83-90 dBA, with a peak sweet spot around 85-88 dBA, depending on the make-up of the band and the set list.
These levels would need to be sustained for hours before any physical temporary damage would occur to your hearing. But, if you’re uncomfortable with these sound levels, there are easy steps for you to help remove the distraction. First off, think about moving forward in the room. You’ll get less bounce off the back walls, and the speakers will throw most of the sound level over your head. Another option would be to take a complimentary pair of ear plugs to use during the music times. If these steps don’t seem to help you, please reach out to Pastor Jason Sewell, or to Rusty Gailey.
For reference, check out this “Common Noise Level” article published by the Center for Hearing and Communication: How Loud Is Too Loud