Which activity is restaurant noise a byproduct of, though? Everything about the restaurant experience is designed to speed those things along, and when it all works, we respond by raising our voices. Just as a weed is a plant you don’t want in your yard, noise is a sound you don’t want in your head. The minute the next table over wants help choosing the wine, the sommelier’s voice becomes noise. So are hearing aids, which amplify noise and signal equally, and can make a reasonably loud room seem unbearable.

Source: New York Times January 21, 2020 17:01 UTC