How you feel is how you hear

How the Mind and Personality Affect Hearing

Did you know that our mental state and personality influence not only our mood but also our hearing? And that, conversely, hearing loss can affect our mood? We explain why these insights are so important for people with hearing loss.

How are you feeling today? A question that might seem strange to some, especially when the topic is supposed to be hearing. But a study by the University of Lübeck has found that personality and mental state not only affect our mood but are also closely linked to our hearing. Personality even reveals whether we tend to hear well or poorly.

Good or Bad Hearing—It’s All a Matter of Personal Preference

Each of us perceives different sounds and volume levels as pleasant or as annoying noise. Some people can tune out the neighbor’s barking dog or children’s screams, while others feel that these sounds impair their quality of life. Until now, it was unclear whether personality also affects performance on hearing tests, such as those conducted by hearing care professionals to fit hearing aids.

Study results show that people who worry frequently are more sensitive to sounds and perceive them as noise more quickly. And mental state and personality also influence objective hearing ability: People who worry more often perform slightly better on hearing tests than less anxious participants.

Better Fitting of Hearing Aids

These study findings on the close connection between mental health and hearing are particularly important for hearing aid users: To fit hearing aids perfectly, numerous individual lifestyle factors of people with hearing loss must be taken into account. According to the latest findings, these factors now also include personality and which sounds are individually bothersome to a person based on their personality.

When Mental Health Affects Hearing

Psychological stress and mental health conditions play a role in many hearing problems. For example, psychological factors are often the cause of tinnitus. The interconnection between mental health and hearing plays a particularly important role in chronic tinnitus: Those affected can, so to speak, “hear” their emotions. This is because they perceive emotions through areas of the brain that are interconnected with the auditory system. ENT specialists therefore also takemental health issues into account when treating tinnitus.

Untreated hearing loss takes a toll

Conversely, hearing can also affect mental health: Untreated hearing loss can take a toll on one’s well-being. Many people with hearing loss have trouble participating in social life. In addition to the physical consequences of hearing loss—such as stress, sleep deprivation, or difficulty concentrating—there are psychological consequences such as low self-esteem, shame, insecurity, and anxiety. Having and following conversations becomes more difficult. Many people with hearing loss become increasingly isolated, feel uncomfortable, and are irritable.

Recognizing and Treating Hearing Loss

The earlier audiologists and ENT specialists detect hearing loss, the more effectively it can be treated with hearing aids and the better the consequences of hearing loss can be prevented. Studies demonstrate just how important this is, including (Hélène Amieva et al. (2018): “Death, Depression, Disability, and Dementia Associated with Self-Reported Hearing Problems: A 25-Year Study”; in: The Journals of Gerontology, Series A, January 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29304204).

You’re not alone if you have hearing loss. If you notice that your hearing is deteriorating, there are effective ways to address it. Take an online hearing test as a precaution and contact your ENT doctor or a hearing care professional near you. These hearing experts will conduct hearing tests, provide an accurate diagnosis, and help you choose the right hearing aids.