Importance of silence
By: Edha Shah
Tags: Body Language, Silence, Communication, Listening, Conversations

In today’s world busy and tired have become the keywords and a default answer when someone asks how are you? We are so immersed in the hustle bustle of the city that our minds have lost the ability to sit in silence and peace. Our human brain continuously needs data to process and is never at ease, that can take a toll on our mental health. Here comes the role of silence. People have different angles of looking at the word silence, some equate it with being lonely and alone while others think of it as a rejuvenating process for themselves. While both are correct, in life one should always try and maintain the balance between the uproar and the remoteness to put oneself at ease. Besides giving our ears a break, silence has shown as the main reason for significant well-being. From a physiological standpoint silence: “boosts our immune system”, “benefits brain chemistry by growing new cells” (supported by a study done in 2013), “lowers blood pressure and hence lowers a chance of heart attack”, “promotes a healthy state of mind” and many more such benefits.

What if I told you that silence is good for communication? Would you believe me? You will not be alone if you said no, many might argue that silence isn’t communication at all, but silence is the most effective communication tool. According to statistics 93% of the communication is non-verbal this has come from the study done by Dr.Albert Mehrabian, he found that words convey only 7% of the message and the rest is determined by our tone, volume, facial expressions, gestures and other aspects that enhance our messages. So, if most of the communication is non-verbal then doesn’t it make sense that being silent is in fact a way of communication. We tend to get swayed when talking about something and hence can make it difficult for the other person to understand the point of the conversation, but at the same time if we practice speaking more precisely in lesser words, we are able to convey the message in a better manner. When we sit in silence, we listen to what the other person has to say while also paying attention to their non-verbal communication, which might help us understand the person better.

It’s important to keep in mind that silence can be misused too! Some may use it as a form of anger while others as a punishment. It takes immense courage to use silence as a communication tool and it’s not always easy to do so. Ironically, we feel more comfortable and safer if we keep talking as it is felt that leaving your words hanging without further explanation is detrimental, but little do we know that there is power in that silence.

Which brings me to my next point silence denotes power and respect. Have you ever wondered when we face a death of a great personality, why do we maintain 2 minutes of silence? It is not just to mourn the demise but to show immense respect and gratitude towards the memorable soul that even the words put together hold a much lesser value. Being silent doesn’t make a person taciturn in fact it makes them dominant and dynamic than the others because, they have been listening to everything around them and hence making them more knowledgeable than a person who continuously talks.

I would like to request everyone here that whenever time permits just close your eyes and take a deep breath and feel the inner chaos disappear whilst bringing new silence, relaxation and togetherness arising from within.