The Science of Silence

Many ambitious teenagers find themselves rushing from activity to activity: they hurry from an exhausting school day straight to piano class, which is followed by logging sweaty hours at the gym. Then, the next day, rinse and repeat. While this type of extreme schedule can be highly rewarding for some, it is crucial to carve out time to spend alone with God.

Mark 6:30-31 says: “The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat.” Like the apostles, we are often busy, whether that be with school, extracurriculars, or sports; however, Jesus invited the apostles (and He invites us) to rest and recharge with Him. Not only does spending time in silence with the Lord have immense spiritual benefits, but it also provides many physical benefits such as lower our blood pressure, reduced muscle tension, and improved focus and cognition.

It is really easy to squander the five free minutes we have to ourselves between classes by mindlessly viewing our phone, but looking at a phone cannot replenish our energy in the same way that being in silence with the Lord can. In their book, Peak Performance, Steve Magness - a performance scientist, coach of endurance athletes, and one of the fastest high school milers in his youth - and Brad Stulberg - an author and former big-time consultant - consistently stress the importance of rest. But not just any rest. As one example of healthy rest, they explain how being in nature is significantly more beneficial than scrolling on your phone. So, instead of spending those five minutes of down time glued to a screen, maybe we can take a walk outside, in silence, simply listening to God and admiring the beauty of His creation.

Silence can also aid the brain. Research has shown that spending two hours in silence per day can generate brain cells that aid learning, memory, and emotion control. While two hours of silence is unattainable for many teens, aiming to spend at least some time in silence will prove beneficial. For example, two minutes of silence are shown to help relax your body and improve your mood.

Silence can be hard to embrace. There are many teenagers that surely enjoy listening to music (and I count myself), but sometimes we need to quiet all noise, even the rich, melodic sound of our favorite tune. To illustrate this point, we can turn to a famous piece of music by John Cage, 4’ 33.” What makes this piece of music so well-known is not brilliant harmonies, nor a stunning arrangement, but instead the fact that it has none of these. This piece is 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence. Certainly many musicians may scoff and say that this piece is not real music, but it has something else extremely valuable beyond the realm of music. During 4 minutes and 33 seconds, the audience must sit in silence, as attentive as if there were notes being played. As many teenagers know, spending 4 minutes and 33 seconds just sitting in silence is difficult, but as John Cage seemed to realize, it has value. I am not saying that we should stop listening to music, but instead that we should not try to fill every moment of silence in our lives with noise. Try spending some time in pure silence with the Lord, and put aside all other noise, even music.

Despite how hectic our daily lives may be, we should try to make spaces to just sit in silence with God. These moments of listening to God will fill you with peace and most importantly, help grow your relationship with God. From time to time, try to push pause on the busy symphony of life and make moments to enjoy the simplicity of silence and listen for the voice of God.

Note: This article aims to encourage teens to spend time in silence with God mainly as a way to grow their relationship with Him, but it also helps show teens the physical and mental benefits of spending time in silence, such as relieving stress. If you think you may be experiencing burnout, more extreme stress, or depression, talk with your parents about consulting with a pediatrician or a priest.

Depression, extreme stress, and burnout are complicated issues. Some websites where you can find more information about symptoms of stress or depression are below. However, even if you do not have any of the worrisome symptoms, if you feel overly stressed or concerned, it is best to talk with your parents to prevent anything from worsening.

To find out more about stress, click here. To find out about the symptoms of teen depression, click here. Remember, God loves you, and you are not alone! Jesus died on the cross for you, and He calls you by name! You matter! This is one of my favorite videos to watch when I am feeling down, because it always reminds me that I am cared for, and that God is watching over me as a loving father. He is truly present with us, and He won’t abandon us!

Sources:

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000648.htm

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000814.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec9GyxEUGec

https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/attention-spans

https://www.whisperroom.com/blog/7-benefits-of-silence-why-we-need-less-noise

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-you-need-more-silence-in-your-life

https://today.duke.edu/2025/06/how-turn-down-noise-and-turn-your-well-being

https://diopitt.org/news/the-importance-of-prayer

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6?30

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/burnout-symptoms-signs

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/soul-console/202406/why-being-comfortable-with-sil