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The moment you open your eyes and let in the sunlight, you also let in the outside world. From the daily hustle of life to the responsibilities, demands and thoughts that weigh on our minds, you’re surrounded by a constant barrage of sights and sounds that invade your space, play on your emotions and affect your mind. But with the power of sound, people are finding ways to “escape” when the world gets to be too much. They are finding joy, comfort and sometimes even relief.
Discover how sound is transforming lives and the real stories of life made better with the power of sound.
Chaos and noise are part of the territory for flight attendants. And for attendants like Japo, the constant sensory overload can weigh heavily, both mentally and emotionally, and be stressful. Making it hard to find those bits of peace that bring a sense of balance and goodness into everyday life.
Get an up-close look at how Japo is making each day better by controlling the sound she lets in, feeling the beauty of the music. With the power of sound, Japo’s finding the goodness in herself and practising self-care, or “self-love” as she calls it. Taking care of herself physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually by creating a space to call her own by cancelling noise and layering in her music.
What started as a way to block out noise while flying has evolved into so much more when we think of how people are using noise cancelling headphones in their everyday lives. Our love of audio and sound may have sparked the noise cancelling revolution, but it’s the people whose lives have been made better that continue to inspire us to innovate.
Rodrigo Gomes, Senior Product Line Manager, has been part of the Bose family for eight years, focusing on our noise cancelling headphone technology. The biggest takeaway in talking with Rodrigo was that noise cancelling didn’t just evolve for the sake of better technology, but to fit with how people live, work and play. Specifically, the macro trend of having a vast and varied amount of content readily available on smartphones. In addition, people are increasingly using headphones not just at home or work—but out and about, from grabbing coffee, to taking walks, to exploring the sights. These changes really drove the innovation behind our latest wireless Bluetooth® noise cancelling headphones, which:
According to Rodrigo, numerous customers have written letters to say that our noise cancelling headphones had changed their lives for the better. Which is music to the ears for someone like Rodrigo, who has invested so much time and thought into Bose noise cancelling technology throughout his career.
“Some people couldn’t go out into the world…everything bothered them. They wrote us really touching letters that the headphones had changed their life”.
What really drove home just how sound could affect people’s lives—for better or worse—was Rodrigo’s own personal experience. He spoke about a neighbour who was extremely sensitive to loud noises. Her son was in a swim class with Rodrigo’s son at a gym covered by a tent that created echoes and was noisy inside. This made it impossible for his neighbour to sit inside and watch her son swim. So, one day Rodrigo let his neighbour borrow his wireless noise cancelling headphones. She set the noise cancelling at level 5…
Sound is personal and affects each of us in different ways. Musicians more than anyone know just how powerful sound can be. It isn’t always about music, but the variety of ways in which sound itself can truly transform our lives. Singer, songwriter, and long-time Bose collaborator Anna Clendening is one musician who has embraced the power of sound to cope and keep the noises that trigger her at bay.
It was amazing to hear just how much Anna turns to sound for solace. All it took was trying on a pair of her dad’s noise cancelling headphones over 5 years ago, and Anna was hooked.
Anna never knows what might trigger those overwhelming feelings of nervousness and stress that take over, making it difficult to go about her daily life. But by keeping her noise cancelling headphones at the ready, she has the ability to block out noise and distractions that might adversely affect her. As well as tune in and focus on soothing or calming sounds.
“I would wear them out when I would go to the grocery store…or to go eat or to the mall. It was my way of taking my room with me”.
She even took her noise cancelling headphones to Disneyland to watch the fireworks show—even with her uneasiness around massive crowds. Anna turned the volume up on her music, blocking out the noises around her and was able to enjoy the show “in her own little world”, as she describes it.
“When I say they changed my life, they were able to get me back on track. Because it was like a safety net”. Hear more about Anna and her music.
Real stories like those of Japo, Rodrigo’s neighbour and Anna get to the heart of just how much sound is part of our lives. People are finding ways to escape or “block” out the world with noise cancelling headphones. They are taking time to revel in the sound—and silence—to practise self-care. And discovering that with the power of sound, they also have the power to change or transform themselves—and their lives—to feel more, be more and do more.
