Hearing health directly affects communication. You need your sense of hearing to engage meaningfully with the people around you, and any interruptions to it can have real impacts on your relationships and sense of connection.
The House Institute is passionate about research in otology and neurotology, and, as such, we want to take the time to discuss how hearing health affects communication and engagement, and why it matters.
Engagement Is a Neurobiological Need
There is growing evidence that indicates that humans have a need for social connection, just as strong as our needs for food, water and shelter. “Social connection” doesn’t just mean having lots of friends and attending lots of parties; it’s the feeling of belonging to a group or community. Let’s discuss what this might look like, and how hearing health can play a part.
Respect Your Relationships
Your close relationships—those with family members and friends—are impacted by communication, and by extension, your hearing health. When you’re engaged in these relationships, they are healthy and bring joy to your life. This can range from sitting and chatting with your spouse at the dinner table every night to calling your kids once a month. Strong hearing means you’re listening, engaging and staying connected on a deep level with the people you care most about.
Poor hearing health can lead to communication breakdowns and a tendency to withdraw. Those dinnertime chats might fall silent; you might let a call go to voicemail. These put strain on your close relationships, and resentment may build up over time (on both sides).
Staying Social
Let’s cast a slightly wider net. Even more casual relationships, like those with coworkers and neighbors, contribute to a sense of social connection and will feel the effects of your hearing health. A neighbor calling out “hello” from their porch and participating in a group conversation at a party with a bunch of casual acquaintances will release those happy chemicals in your brain: oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine—even for the most introverted homebody.
If those more casual social encounters are rife with feelings of embarrassment or defensiveness due to poor hearing health, or if you’re missing out on them entirely because you don’t hear them, it will affect your feeling of social connection and can have ripple effects on mental health, such as increased feelings of depression, isolation and loneliness.
Community Connection
Casting the net even wider still, even the most fleeting social interactions can be impactful. Small social moments, like saying “thank you” to your barista or nodding to a stranger on the same pathway as you on your walk, still contribute to the feeling of social connection. As stated above, social connection is about belonging to the whole community, even among people you don’t know or don’t know well.
People with untreated hearing loss tend to stay home more often due to decreased independence and perhaps some feelings of discomfort. The more isolated you feel in your own home, the more your sense of social connection will suffer.
Take Action on Your Hearing Health
You need a healthy sense of hearing to live your life to the fullest. We want you to engage meaningfully with the people around you and your community. To do that, it behooves you to take care of your hearing health.
Your first step is a hearing test. This will identify any weaknesses in your hearing and determine if any kind of hearing treatment is needed. If it is, your audiologist will discuss options with you. The most common treatment for hearing loss is hearing aids. These tiny, powerful devices can help with all the scenarios we listed above in ways you may not even imagine.
If you’re ready to take action on your hearing health and stay engaged with your community, call The House Institute to schedule an appointment for a hearing test. We look forward to working with you on your hearing loss journey.