Scientists warn of a 'deaf' generation

A 'sound expert' claimed a deaf generation could lose the ability to hear as nature intended

A 'deaf generation' exposed to constant noise may be losing the ability to hear as nature intended, a sound expert has claimed.

As a result they could be missing out on effects from natural sounds that contribute to good health and well-being, research suggests.

Dr Kurt Fristrup, who has monitored sound levels in 90 US national parks including Yosemite, Grand Teton and the Grand Canyon, stressed that hearing is a 'universal learning sense' active even when we are sleeping or anaesthetized .

Speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in San Jose, California, he said: "It's not surprising since we're seeing more rapid growth in noise and in population in our cities, and the built environment is providing lots of cues that we find annoying or aren't relevant to us, that people are putting on earphones or even noise-cancelling earphones, to just try and create a quieter or more congenial environment.

"Of course what they're missing, what's being lost, is the ability to hear threats that are real. Its the cry wolf phenomenon. There will be the occasional cue that really matters - for runners I worry about this - but more importantly, even in our cities there are birds; there are things to appreciate in the environment as well.

Dr Fristrup suspected that our sensitivity to sound stems from our early ancestors, whose survival depended on listening out for predators.

Recent research has shown that natural sounds, such as tumbling water, bird song or wind rustling through trees, has a direct beneficial effect on our bodies and mental state.

For someone going deaf due to Meniere's disease, I find this fascinating. I'm hopeful that maybe if more people have deafness, then maybe hearing aids will be covered more by insurance. As it stands now, I'm 50% deaf in both ears and don't have the $3000 for the hearing aids I need, so instead I have to ask people who mumble to please speak up, listen to my daughter constantly tell me I misunderstood her, drive everyone batty with closed captioning and loud volume, constantly turning up the radio in my car because it always feels like it's on low, and driving my doctors nuts because apparently I tilt my head towards my left shoulder to hear better (my right ear has a hole in the eardrum.) I wish this generation didn't take their hearing for granted. I have to constantly remind my daughter not to sit so close to the TV screen so her vision and hearing doesn't get messed up. I have the radio speakers in my car set so that it's loud on my side, but normal on hers. My TV volume is locked at a normal volume, so she can't blast it. I do think it's a terrible shame that we will be raising a generation of kids who will b dealing with this issue down the road. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.





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a reply to: Anyafaj

I remember a while back there was a fair amount of media attention about one of the Apple products having volume settings that could contribute to hearing loss. I think it was the iPods.

I never mind when somebody tells me they are hard of hearing and adjust so they can hear. I have a low voice that doesn't carry well and notice people with hearing loss need me to speak at a much higher volume or even adjust the tone of my voice.

I'm sorry to hear about the insurance not covering them. Does the hearing loss reach a point where they consider it significant enough to cover hearing aids?

originally posted by: Ksihkehe
a reply to: Anyafaj

I remember a while back there was a fair amount of media attention about one of the Apple products having volume settings that could contribute to hearing loss. I think it was the iPods.

I never mind when somebody tells me they are hard of hearing and adjust so they can hear. I have a low voice that doesn't carry well and notice people with hearing loss need me to speak at a much higher volume or even adjust the tone of my voice.

I'm sorry to hear about the insurance not covering them. Does the hearing loss reach a point where they consider it significant enough to cover hearing aids?

Yeah, just about completely deaf. Does me a fat lot of good now though. And because I'm on disability I'm not allowed to have more than $2000 in the bank. LOL How's that for boned by the government. I'll bet if I needed Viagra it would be covered though. Got to love Medicaid.

Rock and roll was bad for us!

I wish I could hear crickets, but I can't.
Hell, I wish I could hear silence, but I can't. Never will again.

I should read articles first.


So, not about people actually having hearing loss, but tuning things out.

That makes WAY more sense.

I just ordered some bone conducting headphones, and learned that they use the same technology as some hearing aids. I was fascinated by the technology, and had to see it for myself.

a reply to: Domo1

My guess would be that the constant vibration on our sensitive little ear drums is doing the same thing using a power tool in your hand does after a while. I've had it happen before. Eventually your hand just goes pretty numb from the constant hard vibration. Maybe the background noise in urban areas is getting high enough that it's starting to have this effect on hearing.

Edit: I also know I've heard of at least two people killed by trains wearing headphones in the past year.

originally posted by: Phage
Rock and roll was bad for us!

I wish I could hear crickets, but I can't.
Hell, I wish I could hear silence, but I can't. Never will again.

I used to listen to TV in the background as my "white noise". Now it's not unusual for me to literally sit in silence for hours a day, no radio, no TV, no nothing. I figure if I'm going deaf and I can't afford hearing aids, I might as well get used to the "soundless" if you will. I find it soothing now.

a reply to: Anyafaj
Trouble is, I don't hear silence.
I hear "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

Now, don't get me wrong. I'd rather hear that than nothing. Unless that was the only thing I could hear.

originally posted by: Domo1
I should read articles.

As an ex-journalism minor (education major), I'll admit, it's about all I do. I've been reading since I was 3. I was addicted to Encyclopedia Britannica since I was 5, along with the Webster's Dictionary. By Kindergarten, my dad had me saying words like "Initiative". LOL By 7, he taught me to speed read by skipping any 2-3 letter words, such as a, an, the, on, in, etc.....I've been on every school paper from 6th grade all the way to the first year of college. After that I just could see the monetary value of taking another $40,000 loan out for another 3 years. I'm still a very voracious reader. And an avid trivia player.

a reply to: Phage

I'm with you, mine was job related but have a pretty constant ringing in my ears now.

It's not so bad yet but losing the ability to hear crickets or silence is rapidly approaching.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
I just ordered some bone conducting headphones, and learned that they use the same technology as some hearing aids. I was fascinated by the technology, and had to see it for myself.

I'll have to check that out. Do they work well? Let me know. I've seen the one advertised on TV, but I didn't want to spend $40 on something that might not work.

a reply to: Anyafaj

Don't worry. They can't sell stuff that doesn't work on TV.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Anyafaj
Trouble is, I don't hear silence.
I hear "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

Now, don't get me wrong. I'd rather hear that than nothing. Unless that was the only thing I could hear.

Tinnitus? If so, I that too. Part and parcel of the Meniere's. For me though, the worst part is the dizzy spells, living on the 4th floor and using the elevator makes it worse! And the watery feeling really is annoying. It constantly feels like I just got done taking a shower, or was swimming, no matter what I do. And because the anti-water pills contra-indicate with my other meds, my doc is leery to prescribe it, which I understand. Annoying just the same though.

a reply to: Anyafaj
My mother had Meniere's. My brother does but he had a stent placed which seems to have given him a lot of relief.

I've had a few bouts with vertigo (with a year or so in between) so I'm worried about myself in that regard, though I don't really have any other symptoms. Hoping for the best.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Anyafaj

Don't worry. They can't sell stuff that doesn't work on TV.

Yeah smart mouth? You tell that to my egg-laying wooly milk pig! I got a free snuggie and only paid $5k for S&H.

a reply to: Domo1
You passed on the second, free one?

a reply to: Phage

I messed up and didn't order on time. I will always regret letting the counter run down when they were struggling to keep up with orders. They WARNED me Phage! They said this was a deal that was going fast! I learned my lesson, I won't play fast and loose with infomercials anymore, the shame is too great. I could have doubled my order and for only triple the shipping! Perhaps one day I will be able to stay up late enough and call in to secure my two for one wooly milk pig with complimentary snuggie.

Now I'm having a crisis, if I can get my order in on time, what pattern snuggie do I order? I want my reverse bathrobe to say "Domo".

On a more serious note, I am sorry to learn you have concerns about hearing, and that your Mother and Brother both have issues. Glad that the shunt was successful for your brother. How much has his hearing been affected? How fast did the issue progress? Wish you the best, maybe all that flying around will keep your hearing in check.

With regards to our senses, due to many reasons, we have lost the ability to use them to their potential. All senses have been 'dumbed down'. Due to our modern lifestyle? Probably. Possibly.

a reply to: Anyafaj

As I sit here at work, on this bright and sunny morning, I hear gulls, sparrows, and a murder of crows vocalising up and down the street, the rattle of a child's scooter as it travels along the uneven paving, the rustle of paperwork in the office at the back of our store, the hum of the desktop computer to my right, the occasional THUMP of artillery fire from the testing ranges a couple of miles from here, cars whirring along the road outside, snatches of conversation from passers by, the laughter of children...

Depending on the wind direction, I can often hear cars from as far away as a couple of miles, provided a certain low level of other noise. Sometimes I will hear a large amount of steel being dropped, this sound issuing from the industrial estate less than a mile from here. Trains passing through town, despite the quietness of their electric motors, produce a significant noise, assuming once again that the wind direction carries the sound well enough. Planes, and helicopters also frequently overfly this location.

We have an ambulance station, a fire station and a police station near here as well, so sirens are a familiar sound around these parts.