This coming from a patient, after teasing he wasn’t hearing his wife. Somedays, it’s just a selective hearing loss as I do hear the sounds and speech but sometimes I’m not focused on what was said. It’s more of an attention issue and not a hearing issue. He smiled…:)
He shared how beautifully and natural his hearing has been since being fit with new digital Oticon More hearing aids. He loves the full and rounded quality of sound. After being seen for several weekly check ups to ensure the fit, sound, tolerance, and that cell phone streaming is going well he said…. Streaming to his smartphone and rechargeability are an extra bonus! We can all have selective hearing loss with how so busy our lives have become.
Too funny, good to see another happy patient
LOL, agree!
I love that! Selective loss indeed. So glad he is happy with the new hearing aids.
We hear some great stories right?!
Thanks for the update
If I’m doing something and not paying attention when Bill says something to me, I don’t hear him either. But he mumbles a lot anyway. lol
Many of us have heard this phrase “selective hearing” in reference to people only hearing what they want to hear. While it’s often used in a joking sense, selective hearing is an experience that researchers are only just starting to understand.
Selective hearing is the ability to listen to a single speaker while in a crowded or loud environment. You might also hear it referred to as “selective auditory attention” or the “cocktail party effect.”
At times, our brain chooses what to listen to based on what we’re doing or what we’re FOCUSed on at the time. For example, imagine that someone started talking to you while you were trying to finish watching an episode of a TV show. Chances are good that you didn’t hear much of what they said to you. Your brain prioritized the sound of the TV over that person’s voice because your focus was to finish watching the show.
Other times, more often than not, VISUAL CUES are also an important part of selective hearing. Imagine you are at a noisy restaurant with friends and a few are talking at the same time. This can be very difficult and challenging for most to decipher what is being said, even with normal hearing. Parts of the spoken message are missed. When we are able to see the person’s face while they are talking, we tend to pick up cues at the face which enables us to fill in the gaps of the spoken message. Up to 90% of all speech intelligibility occurs at the face! Wow! Consequently, we will experience an easier time focusing and following along in the conversation when we take advantage of both our hearing and visual cues.
LISTENING STRATEGIES used in challenging listening situations can also help. For example, requesting a round table for a large party enables good visibility of each person sitting around the table versus a long rectangular table. When making reservations, ask for a round table away from the kitchen and near the wall as opposed to in the center of the restaurant.
Thank you for sharing your experience!