Silent retreats are all the rage; hotel guests are embracing \u2018hushpitatility\u2019. But won\u2019t this leave us more isolated?<\/p>\n
Are we becoming too quiet? As a joyless, intolerant shrew, my kneejerk answer is a predictable \u201cif only\u201d (writing this on a train full of happy holidaymakers isn\u2019t helping). But am I wrong? I find myself confronted with evidence that people are taking the expression \u201csay less\u201d literally. A study recently reported in the Atlantic found that daily spoken word counts declined by around 300 every year between 2005 and 2019. A sample group of 2,197 participants, aged between 10 and 94, wore devices that randomly recorded them as they went about their lives; each year, they spoke on average 338 fewer words than the year before. For under-25s, the decline was even steeper: 451 fewer words.<\/p>\n
Even I can see that\u2019s worrying. Spending time with other people is good for our brains, health and mood, while, as the US surgeon general put it so starkly in 2023, \u201clacking social connection can increase the risk for premature death as much as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day\u201d.<\/p>\n
But silence is seen as a desirable self-improvement tool; healthy even. \u201cSilent walking\u201d is a wellness hack, we\u2019re noise cancelling like never before and Hilton\u2019s trend report this year has introduced me to the horrid concept of \u201chushpitality\u201d. Claiming \u201csometimes the best travel companion is silence\u201d, Hilton reported on the (depressing) rise of digital and AI-enabled tools \u2013 virtual check-ins, text communication, bots \u2013 that allow travellers to \u201cprotect their peace\u201d, and quoted a survey in which 57% of US travellers said they\u2019d be interested in a silent or quiet retreat. We seem convinced we need quieter lives, but maybe we actually need more chat?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s further evidence that knowing what\u2019s good or bad for us has become baffling, labyrinthine, probably impossible. Lettuce is potentially deadly now and New Scientist informs me lightbulbs are \u201cwrecking your metabolism\u201d (doubtless soon darkmaxxing influencers will be promoting cave living). So, should people wear their headphones more or less, and is silence something to gorge on, or enjoy in moderation? Maybe we need a version of Michael Pollan\u2019s brilliantly simple dictum on food \u2013 \u201cEat food, not too much, mostly plants\u201d \u2013 but for talking. How about: \u201cSpeak words, mostly in person, not too loud (and never on speakerphone)\u201d? I\u2019m open to other \u2013 quietly voiced \u2013 suggestions.<\/p>\n