Silence and wellbeing in the XXI century: a qualitative study on the promotion of silence as wellbeing

Abstract

At a first glance silence can seem the mere absence of sound, however new initiatives around the world are promoting its values as a source of mental and physical wellbeing. The following qualitative study aims to identify what themes are used to promote silence as part of wellbeing. The research methods consist of personal interviews, a case study on four examples of silence promotion, and a thematic content analysis of the Instagram accounts of three different organisations. The study finds that highlighting nature, communicating the feelings of wellbeing from silence, reflectional messages and promoting practices of silence, are the most recurrent topics and consequently, are the most relevant to consider when promoting silence. Living in the digital century, this project believes it is relevant to investigate how silence can be communicated, especially on digital platforms, with the unique purpose to contribute to individual and collective wellbeing.