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I realize that this is going to be looked at as an odd question but I was wondering if there is a certain Tone or Harmonic that causes a human being discomfort? Im not interested in volume per se but more in the frequency in Hertz (Urrgyh! No pun intended...) Ideally it would be a very low frequency beyond the ability of the human ear to hear it that would travel unimpeded through most solid objects and not deteriorate. Think along the Lines of Eric Cartmans "Brown Note" in South Park..

Tetsujin
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EdibleAnimal
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  • I reckon every body (and maybe everybody) has a natural sympathetic vibration frequency, just as the apocryphal glass shattering opera singer story. So, yes, but maybe not discomfort or pain- too subjective- but an awareness at least. – Tim Jun 26 '16 at 17:48
  • There are various parts of the body that can resonate, and do, at different frequencies, but certainly no single note that "the body" will resonate to.

    For example I often find my lungs resonate along with certain bass frequencies, and often find my trousers or jacket sleeves vibrate along with strong bass..

     – Doktor Mayhem Jun 26 '16 at 21:07
  • Cue the ever-resurgent "brown note" theorists :-) – Carl Witthoft Jun 27 '16 at 11:07

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I've been subjected to many different high-volume low-frequency sounds. In my personal experience, it's the volume that makes it uncomfortable, and there never seemed to be any particular frequency that was more uncomfortable than any other.

The most obvious areas of discomfort were my teeth and my eyes, not any part of my digestion. Yes, I have been in the presence of bass sounds so loud that my vision blurred and my teeth rattled if I didn't open my jaw slightly. Some venues go way overboard with the subwoofers. One time an engineer with lots of live sound experience told me that we tend to involuntarily clench muscles in the presence of very loud bass sounds, so the sound literally makes us tired. I'm not sure if that's true or not.

I've never felt digestive discomfort or anything like that from high volume, low frequency sounds. I recall reading that scientifically, the existence of a "brown note" in terms of the South Park sense has been disproved. At the same time, there has been military research on incapacitating sounds, and while I don't think there are any resonant frequencies of the human body related to that, it's possible that sound at high enough intensity could cause medical issues for a human, including voiding of oneself. Again, not because of resonance.

See this Wikipedia article.

Todd Wilcox
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  • ...told me that we tend to involuntarily clench muscles in the presence of very loud bass sounds, so the sound literally makes us tired. New weight loss method? Burn 400 calories in just 15 minutes on the amazing new Bass Reflex! – Kaz Jun 29 '16 at 20:06