Hearing with my hair
December 14, 2011 4:32 PM Subscribe
I can hear with a location on the top of my head. Is this common? Unusual? What is it called?
If I put my right hand on the top of my head, my middle finger touches a small spot that it quite sensitive to sound. I can 'hear' when I move my fingertip against my head. Nowhere else on my head produces the same results.
I haven't been able to find anything about this online, possibly because I have no idea what the phenomenon is be called.
If I put my right hand on the top of my head, my middle finger touches a small spot that it quite sensitive to sound. I can 'hear' when I move my fingertip against my head. Nowhere else on my head produces the same results.
I haven't been able to find anything about this online, possibly because I have no idea what the phenomenon is be called.
I'm not sure what you're referring to but when I touch my scalp I can hear noises in my ears. Not any particular spot but rather the entire scalp. Bone transmits sound rather well.
posted by dfriedman at 4:38 PM on December 14, 2011
posted by dfriedman at 4:38 PM on December 14, 2011
Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but i just tried taking my fingertip and touching my head, and then moving it back and forth, around various spots on my head and I could hear it everywhere, right down to the nape of my neck -- it seems to stop when my hair stops, so maybe it has something to do with your hair? Is your hair different right in that spot?
posted by brainmouse at 4:38 PM on December 14, 2011
posted by brainmouse at 4:38 PM on December 14, 2011
Response by poster: What happens if you do it with your left hand? What if you use a finger other than your middle finger?
See original Q: "Nowhere else on my head produces the same results"
What if you put an earbud up there with the music pretty quiet?
No joy - I think I'd have to actually contact something solid to the area to hear it - without a tympanic membrane the coupling to air will be pretty poor.
Is your hair different right in that spot?
No, but there is a small bump in my skull.
3 answers so far, all essentially assuming this is the same as any spot on my head.
This is one small area, about the size of a fingertip.
It does not sound anything like just touching my head anywhere. Imagine you have an amplifier, with a microphone and the volume turned up, connected to headphones you're wearing. You rub your finger over the microphone - THAT's what it sounds like.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 6:22 PM on December 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
See original Q: "Nowhere else on my head produces the same results"
What if you put an earbud up there with the music pretty quiet?
No joy - I think I'd have to actually contact something solid to the area to hear it - without a tympanic membrane the coupling to air will be pretty poor.
Is your hair different right in that spot?
No, but there is a small bump in my skull.
3 answers so far, all essentially assuming this is the same as any spot on my head.
This is one small area, about the size of a fingertip.
It does not sound anything like just touching my head anywhere. Imagine you have an amplifier, with a microphone and the volume turned up, connected to headphones you're wearing. You rub your finger over the microphone - THAT's what it sounds like.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 6:22 PM on December 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
Imagine you have an amplifier, with a microphone and the volume turned up, connected to headphones you're wearing. You rub your finger over the microphone - THAT's what it sounds like
That's how I'd describe the sound I hear everywhere on my head -- what does it sound like on the other parts of your head?
posted by brainmouse at 6:38 PM on December 14, 2011
That's how I'd describe the sound I hear everywhere on my head -- what does it sound like on the other parts of your head?
posted by brainmouse at 6:38 PM on December 14, 2011
i'd be willing to bet that you have more sensitivity in one of the areas that used to be your fontanelles.
posted by facetious at 6:51 PM on December 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by facetious at 6:51 PM on December 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
Just for reference, if I gently touch my scalp, or scratch my head, I often automatically have to wiggle my ears with my fingers, to counteract the 'itchyness' of the loud sound it makes (ie like touching a microphone, but not as bad as nails on a chalkboard).
It never occurred to me to think about it before. Maybe the issue is not that you have one spot that amplifies sound, but that the rest of your head doesn't?
*Joke!*
Actually, it sounds more like that small bump on your skull, is better at conducting the sound than other places in your skull.
Which sounds like it's stating the obvious, but, I'm thinking something more like, if it's convex shape (like a tiny amphitheatre!), or possibly even has a bubble inside the bone (like a tiny drum!), I can imagine it might be better amplifying/conducting the sound of your finger against your skull.
Neato!
posted by Elysum at 1:04 PM on December 15, 2011
It never occurred to me to think about it before. Maybe the issue is not that you have one spot that amplifies sound, but that the rest of your head doesn't?
*Joke!*
Actually, it sounds more like that small bump on your skull, is better at conducting the sound than other places in your skull.
Which sounds like it's stating the obvious, but, I'm thinking something more like, if it's convex shape (like a tiny amphitheatre!), or possibly even has a bubble inside the bone (like a tiny drum!), I can imagine it might be better amplifying/conducting the sound of your finger against your skull.
Neato!
posted by Elysum at 1:04 PM on December 15, 2011
Response by poster: My answer did not assume that. I took you at your word that a) it's just the one spot, b) it only works with your left hand, and c) it only works with your middle finger.
a) Yes it's just one small spot.
b) actually I said RIGHT hand, the spot is on the left of my skull
c) The business with the hand & finger was just the best way I could think of to easily describe the location of the spot [on the left of the top of my head]. Of course the same phenomena occurs no matter how or with what it is touched.
what does it sound like on the other parts of your head
Similar, but this one spot is MUCH louder & clearer than anywhere else.
i'd be willing to bet that you have more sensitivity in one of the areas that used to be your fontanelles.
I would expect a fontanelle to be central, this location is on the far left of the top of the skull.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 2:58 PM on December 15, 2011
a) Yes it's just one small spot.
b) actually I said RIGHT hand, the spot is on the left of my skull
c) The business with the hand & finger was just the best way I could think of to easily describe the location of the spot [on the left of the top of my head]. Of course the same phenomena occurs no matter how or with what it is touched.
what does it sound like on the other parts of your head
Similar, but this one spot is MUCH louder & clearer than anywhere else.
i'd be willing to bet that you have more sensitivity in one of the areas that used to be your fontanelles.
I would expect a fontanelle to be central, this location is on the far left of the top of the skull.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 2:58 PM on December 15, 2011
There are a few fontanelles, there are also cranial sutures. I googled "fontanelle diagram" to effective results for where they are generally located on the average head.
posted by kamikazegopher at 7:49 PM on December 15, 2011
posted by kamikazegopher at 7:49 PM on December 15, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by restless_nomad at 4:37 PM on December 14, 2011