The Helpful Hmmmmmm

Sir Joseph: Can you sing?

Ralph: I can hum a little . . .

--H.M.S. Pinafore

Not only Ralph Rackstraw hums a little. Babies hum at the breast, and mothers hum while rocking them. Children hum at play; workmen hum at work. No company is without its office hummer who strides the halls humming his favorite pop or Paganini. Pablo Casals hums while playing the cello. Why do humans hum? In the current Journal of Auditory Research, a psychiatrist offers a couple of answers.

Dr. Peter Ostwald, 33, of the University of California School of Medicine, has for three years been studying human sounds. Ostwald says in effect that humans hum to soothe themselves mentally. Humming is frequently prompted by one of two subconscious impulses: 1) to achieve a back-to-the-breast association with mother, and its consequent feeling of security, or 2) to block out extraneous sounds when one is trying to concentrate.

If the first motive -- "thumbsucking without the thumb" -- is predictably Freudian, the second is quite practical. The sound waves produced by humming are far more effective than the low volume would indicate. This is because humming is a "purer" tone. "When a person hums, he can blot out most of the sounds of speech," Ostwald reports. "Many hum to themselves while concentrating on tasks, particularly if these involve abstract thinking or fine motor skills."

Ostwald hastens to point out that humming is perfectly normal. Does he hum? "Of course. We all do. We have to."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.