Interesting although I don't think they provided enough details on what level of 'silence' they are talking about. There is a room which apparently is pretty much soundless. If the room in this experiment was similar to that room then the results are only to be expected. Complete silence is not something we are comfortable with. Now as I write this I am in my little home office and the birds are chirping quietly outside but I only realised that when I stopped to think about what I can actually hear right now. Otherwise I would have been oblivious to that and all the other sounds (Keys on keyboard, wind in trees, rain etc). So there is plenty of sound here even though I wasn't actively aware of it. I don't normally say "I want silence", I usually say "I want a bit of peace and quiet" which really means I don't want anyone to talk to me for a while. Silence is confusing and uncomfortable, Conversation is great most of the time but it is also tiring and can be very dull also. But to be left alone and not bothered by anyone else for a few hours, bliss. I think that's what people are really after rather than perfect soundless silence.
I completely agree. Total silence or pretty close to it can be nice for a few mins, but it's actually quite unnerving. I think humans prefer to know they are still connected to the 'hum' or 'buzz' of the world, even if they are separated from it; be it by a window, the wall of a cave or even from inside the womb. However, if you can't be left alone with your thoughts, even for a little while, without needing a distraction, be it pain or otherwise, then I think that's pretty unhealthy.
Yea its pretty cool. You immediately notice when they enter the room that when you hear sound it doesn't just convey the sound itself but you interpret all sorts of spatial information from it. The fact that you are in a large open room conflicts with the information your ears are presenting, your brain is interpreting the audio input and assumes you are in a small confined space. Even though you can see that it is not so you cant avoid the feeling of enclosure.