Body Electric: Your earbuds and you—what all that listening is doing to us
May 28, 2024
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Exposure scientist Rick Neitzel, partnered with Apple, discusses the impact of daily listening habits on hearing. They explore safe listening practices and the future of
Excessive headphone usage can lead to permanent avoidable hearing loss, necessitating safe listening habits.
Chronic exposure to high noise levels from personal devices or environmental sources may cause health issues beyond hearing damage.
Deep dives
Impact of Headphone Usage on Hearing
The popularity of headphones and earbuds has increased significantly, with over half a billion pairs sold in a year. Research highlights the potential risks of excessive headphone usage on hearing health. The World Health Organization warns of the risk of permanent avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices. Factors such as high volume, long listening durations, and noisy environments contribute to potential hearing damage.
Consequences of Noise Exposure
Chronic exposure to high levels of noise, whether from personal listening devices or environmental sources, can lead to various health issues. These include headaches, trouble sleeping, stress, and even cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure. Researchers emphasize the importance of monitoring noise exposure levels and the duration of exposure to prevent long-term hearing damage.
Best Practices for Hearing Protection
Experts recommend setting volume limits on devices, considering both sound intensity and exposure duration. Users are advised to take breaks from continuous listening to rest their ears. Utilizing noise-canceling features on headphones can reduce background noise, allowing for lower listening volumes. Understanding safe listening levels and practicing moderation can help preserve hearing health.
Our special series, Body Electric, is back! This time, host Manoush Zomorodi does a deep dive into our headphone habits... because many of us wear them for hours at a time, and all that listening is taking a toll on our hearing.
Manoush speaks with exposure scientist Rick Neitzel, who has partnered with Apple on a first-of-its-kind study to find how our daily listening patterns are affecting our hearing. Neitzel offers advice on safe listening habits that can help protect our ears in the long term.
Later, Manoush takes us into the future of "consumer hearables" and how tech companies want us to never — ever— take our earbuds out.
Interested in joining the Apple Hearing Study? Sign up here.
Binge the whole Body Electric series here. Sign up for the Body Electric Challenge and our newsletter here.
Talk to us on Instagram @ManoushZ, or record a voice memo and email it to us at BodyElectric@npr.org.