The human ear does not hear all frequencies equally. There’s this thing called the [Fletcher-Munson Curve](https://images.app.goo.gl/gepUS4dRxWcGxcy5A) that illustrates it. Our ears are best at hearing the frequency range associated with human speech. Around 1-4 kiloHertz. *^The ^parts ^of ^the ^curve ^that ^are ^lower ^on ^the ^y-axis ^are ^easier ^to ^be ^heard ^at ^lower ^levels.*
But there are a lot of other sounds in that range. An intentional example is emergency broadcast warning sounds. In the US, those are 1kHz tones. Sounds that are *made* to be noticed because they are perceived as louder than other frequencies.
The human ear also has a threshold of pain typically above 130 decibels.
So combine that threshold of pain and how the ear perceives frequencies differently, then certain sounds within certain frequencies—those which we are more sensitive—are more painful than others that do not fall within that range
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