Science explains why a selective hearing really occurs in your brain

You may think that “the selective hearing” of your spouse is a choice – but science argues the opposite.

The phenomenon of the selective audience is more than choosing when or when not listening, according to a recent article by Dr Stella Fulman in Audiology Island in New York.

“The selective audience is the capacity of the brain to prioritize and treat certain hearing stimuli in relation to others,” she wrote. “It allows individuals to focus on particular sounds while ignoring or minimizing the impact of competing noises.”

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“This process occurs transparently and is often automatic, allowing individuals to focus on relevant information even in difficult environments.”

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Jorge Rey, an audiologist based in Miami Beach at Hearusa, confirmed that the selective audience “is not only a question of people listening to others or ignoring them.”

The selective audience is an automatic response in the brain that filters sound, according to experts. (istock)

“It is a real neurological process rooted in the way the brain treats sound.”

Scientifically, selective hearing is known as “hearing selective attention”, in which the integrated brain filter focuses on “important sounds” and separates significant speech from background noise.

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“It is important to note that selective hearing is not only distraction or disinterest – this is the result of a cognitive charge and increased fatigue,” said Rey.

“Essentially, selective hearing occurs because the brain gives priority to certain sounds on others, in order to help us operate in noisy environments.”

The effect of “cocktail” is the auditory process to focus on important sounds, such as a person in a conversation. (istock)

A classic example is to hear a friend’s voice in a crowded restaurant, a phenomenon known as the “cocktail effect”.

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The process involves two key parts of the brain – the hearing cortex, which treats sounds, and the prefrontal cortex, which controls attention and decision -making.

The working memory also clings to the flow of information selected at the same time, allowing a person to follow a conversation.

“Selective hearing is not only distraction or disinterest – it is the result of a cognitive load and increased fatigue.”

The selective audience could become a concern if it begins to interfere with daily life or relationships, but occasional moments of “zoning in noisy environments are expected,” suggested Rey.

As hearing loss worsens, in particular with age, this can cause the break in this process, which means that all sounds “compete for attention”.

Persistent selective audience models can point out “something more serious, including hearing loss,” said the expert. (istock)

This can lead to “listening fatigue”, which makes the brain more difficult to treat sound correctly, said Rey.

“Over time, untreated hearing loss can have an impact on memory and cognitive health, having a negative impact on quality of life.”

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Even a slight hearing loss can work the brain harder to fill missing sounds, according to the expert.

The signs of hearing loss include difficulty following conversations in noisy environments or large group parameters, frequently asking others to repeat themselves, leaning towards the speaker, providing responses that are not relevant to the conversation or seemed to be disengaged when listening.

Hearing aids can be an appropriate option for people with hearing loss symptoms. (istock)

There may also be a recognizable increase in frustration, fatigue, irritability or a tendency to withdraw from social situations due to the act of listening to a feeling of “crushing”.

“If these problems often happen and others around you notice the model, it may be time to check with a hearing hearing career or a hearing care professional to determine if the selective hearing masks a deeper problem,” advised Rey.

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Hearing aids and other modern hearing devices use technology that improves speech noise and filters noise. They can also broadcast audio from smartphones, which may be useful for some.

For friends and family of people with hearing complications, Ray recommends facing the person while speaking in noisy or occupied places, using clear facial expressions and speech, and a reduction in background noise when possible.