Many years ago, probably even back in the 90's, I read something online where the person discovered holding two open boxes of straws so that both ears were basically listening down the mass of tubes, which were blocked at the ends since they were still in the opened box. He called it a "sound sucker" but noted that it caused him to feel like he was suddenly disembodied, besides of course making things quieter.
This is clearly the same psychosomatic response, but invoked in a completely different way. People who go into a sound recording booth for the first time often get spooked by it initially. In all three cases, it really does feel like there is abnormal pressure on your eardrums, even though there isn't.
I think your brain is expecting to feel pressure on your external ear whenever environmental sound is inhibited - literally covering or plugging your ears. Sound canceling ear buds, super comfortable headphones, straw "sound suckers" and audio recording booths all lack that sensation while inhibiting environmental sounds (room reverberations etc.).
This is clearly the same psychosomatic response, but invoked in a completely different way. People who go into a sound recording booth for the first time often get spooked by it initially. In all three cases, it really does feel like there is abnormal pressure on your eardrums, even though there isn't.
I think your brain is expecting to feel pressure on your external ear whenever environmental sound is inhibited - literally covering or plugging your ears. Sound canceling ear buds, super comfortable headphones, straw "sound suckers" and audio recording booths all lack that sensation while inhibiting environmental sounds (room reverberations etc.).