Binaural Beat Technology

Binaural beat technology works off the principle of entrainment. By introducing one tone to one ear, and a slightly higher or lower tone to the other ear, parts of the brain synchronize to the difference between the two tones. This difference is the perceived binaural beat. Recent research has shown that different binaural beat frequencies can induce different states ranging from feeling sleepy to very awake.

History

Binaural beats were first discovered and researched by German scientist H.W. Dove in 1839. We can perceive binaural beats because they have a major evolutionary significance: they allow us to detect the direction of a sound in nature. Starting in the late 1980s, products started to become available that would play binaural beats constantly and make use of the brain's tendency for entrainment.

How They Work

Because lower, more primitive parts of the brain will synchronize with binaural beats, it is hypothesized that these brain waves will carry up to the higher, more evolved parts of the brain that deal with conscious thought. In theory, by playing binaural beats that are the same frequency as a brain wave exclusive to a particular state, you can induce that state.

Technology

The simplest binaural beat technology is mostly audio tapes and CDs that play binaural beats. Sometimes a recording will simply play two frequencies and nothing else. More sophisticated recordings may have the binaural beats mixed in with white noise or nature sounds such as waves crashing on the beach or a thunderstorm. More recently, software has been developed that can generate binaural beats and the user can create customized presets that induce sleep, creativity, alertness or relaxation.

Scams

The benefits of binaural beats are just beginning to become acknowledged by science. Although binaural beats were discovered in the mid-nineteenth century, it took over 100 years before a considerable number of scientific studies were published that demonstrated the effects of binaural beats in humans. Because binaural beat technology is still emerging, there are many scams that are selling CDs for exorbitant prices, or making unverifiable claims that binaural beats can instill superhuman abilities in the user.

Safety

The safety of long-term binaural beat usage is still relatively unknown. Most people do not have any problems, but people who suffer from seizures, are pregnant or operate heavy machinery should probably play it safe and not experiment with binaural beats.