The only one thing that you asked for was for the trash to be taken out. But, unfortunately, it never was accomplished. “I Didn’t hear you”, they declare. Why are you not surprised that your partner didn’t hear the one thing they needed done? The popular term for this is “selective hearing,” and it’s often a sign of failed communication.
This “selective hearing” is frequently viewed as a kind of character flaw. It’s as if you’re accusing someone of deliberately not listening. But selective hearing may actually be connected to untreated hearing loss rather than a short attention span.
What is selective hearing?
You’ve probably had at least one or more scenarios in your life where somebody has accused you of not listening, even if no one specifically used the term “selective hearing”. Selective hearing happens when you can clearly hear information that’s useful to you but conveniently miss the bit that’s negative. You hear the part about the chocolate cake, but you don’t hear the part about the calories. Things like that.
It’s really common for people to have selective hearing behavior. But this behavior is more prevalent in men than women, according to some research.
It may be tempting to draw some social conclusions from that (and the way that people are socialized certainly does play a part in how this behavior is contextualized). But hearing health is likely another major aspect. Let’s say your “selective hearing” begins to become more prevalent or more common. That could actually be an early sign of hearing loss.
Communication can be impacted by hearing loss
Undiagnosed hearing loss can indeed make communication a lot more challenging. That’s most likely not that surprising.
But one notable indication of hearing loss is communication issues.
Symptoms can be really difficult to notice when hearing loss is in the early phases. Your tv might get a bit louder. You can’t quite hear what your friend is saying when you stop for a drink at your local bar. You most likely just presume it’s because of the loud music. But besides scenarios like that, you might never even notice how loud everyday sounds can be. This allows your hearing to slowly (but surely) decline. Up to the time you’re having trouble following along with daily conversations, you almost don’t notice.
Your partner is becoming concerned about the health of your hearing
The people close to you will probably be worried. Yes, selective hearing is a rather common aggravation (even more aggravating when you already feel as if nobody listens to you). But as it turns out more and more often, irritation may turn to concern.
So, your partner may suggest you schedule a hearing test to find out if something is wrong.
Your partner’s concern is relevant and it’s important for you to acknowledge that. Talk openly with them and accept their help because they care about your well-being and aren’t simply aggravated with you.
Other early signs of hearing loss
You should watch out for some of the other early warning signs of hearing loss if your selective hearing appears to be getting worse. A few of those signs include:
- Requesting that people talk slower and talk louder
- Hearing in crowds is challenging
- Consonants are hard to distinguish
- Cranking the volume up on your devices
- Speech sounds distant or muffled
You should call us for a hearing exam if you have any of these symptoms.
Wear ear protection
It’s essential that you take measures to protect your ears so that you can prevent hearing loss. Limit your exposure to noisy environments (or at least use earmuffs or earplugs when you must be around noise). Hearing aids can also help you have more effective communication, which can smooth over many rough patches that your hearing loss might have caused in the first place.
A diminishing attention span will be to blame for the majority of selective hearing situations in your life. But you may want to take it as an indication that it’s time for a hearing test when people around you begin to notice your selective hearing getting worse.
