Good News! I'm Not Insane!

Well, at least in one area I'm not losing my mind. As I was sitting here in silence I remembered an odd "trick" I used to be able to do. The word "trick" is in quotation marks because, yes, it's something unique I can do, but nobody can see or hear me do it.

Ever since I can remember I've been able to make a rumbling noise in my head any time I wanted. It's like I flex some sort of muscle and and I hear a rumbling in my ears. I remember asking other people if they could do the same back when I was a little kid, but nobody could and they all thought I was crazy for even asking the question.

But today, when I remembered it, I realized that a lot has changed since I was a little kid: Al Gore created the internet. And with the internet I can type a question, however crazy, into Google or other similar search engine and get a response from anonymous strangers. Are these times we live in great or what?

It turns out that humans have what's called a Tensor Tympani Muscle in their ears (both of them), and that this muscle involuntarily contracts to help dampen chewing noises. It can also help dampen loud noises. But apparently there is a small group of people with the ability to flex this muscle voluntarily. I'm one of them. You can read all about it on Wikipedia here.

I don't know how many times I thought that I must just be crazy or something, or that something was seriously wrong with my head or ears. It's a nice skill to have, though, when people are talking to you and you don't really want to hear them. They can't tell you're doing it, but it sure helps drown them out.

It's just too bad there aren't special scholarships or other benefits for people with this ability. Is there anyone else out there able to do this? Or is it just me and a few other anonymous internet weirdos in an on-line forum?