The only one thing that you requested was for the trash to be taken out. But, unfortunately, it never got done. “I Didn’t hear you”, they state. Funny how that works, how your partner didn’t hear the one thing you asked them to do. This “selective hearing” is a normal indication that communication is breaking down.
This “selective hearing” is frequently viewed as a sort of character defect. It’s as if you’re accusing someone of purposely not listening. But it’s possible that the real culprit behind your selective hearing might not be a short attention span, it might be the early stages of hearing loss.
Selective hearing – what is it?
You’ve probably been accused of selective hearing at some point in your life, even if nobody used that specific name. When you miss all the stuff you don’t want to hear but hear everything else, that’s selective hearing. You hear the part about making a delicious meal but miss the part about cleaning up the dishes. That sort of thing.
As a behavior, selective hearing is extremely common. But this behavior is more prevalent in men than women, according to some research.
How individuals are socialized does offer some context and it might be tempting to draw some social conclusions from this. But the other part of the situation may have something to do with hearing health. If your “selective hearing” starts to become more common, it might be a hint that you may have undiagnosed hearing loss.
Hearing loss can produce gaps in communication
Communication will certainly be harder with undiagnosed hearing loss. You’re most likely not surprised by that.
But here’s the thing: oftentimes, communication issues are a sign of hearing loss.
When hearing loss is in those really early phases, there won’t be a lot of obvious symptoms. Maybe you start turning the volume on your tv up. You can’t quite hear what your friend is saying when you go out for a beverage at your local bar. It’s most likely because the music is so loud, right? But besides scenarios like that, you might never even notice how loud everyday sounds can be. Your hearing can gradually decline because of this. Up to the time you’re having difficulty following daily conversations, you almost don’t notice.
Your partner is becoming worried about the health of your hearing
The people around you will likely be worried. Yes, selective hearing is a fairly common aggravation (even more irritating when you already feel like no one is listening to you). But that aggravation often turns to worry when they recognize that hearing loss may be the real culprit.
So, your partner might suggest you schedule a hearing exam to find out if something is wrong.
Your partner’s worry is relevant and it’s important for you to acknowledge that. Talk openly with them and welcome their help because they care about your well-being and aren’t simply aggravated with you.
Other early signs of hearing loss
If your selective hearing has become worse over time, it may be worth keeping an eye out for some of these other early signs of hearing loss. Here are some of those signs:
- Having a tough time distinguishing consonants
- Requesting that people speak slower and speak up
- Cranking up the volume on your devices
- Hearing in crowds is difficult
- People sound far-away or muted when they talk
You should contact us for a hearing exam if you have any of these symptoms.
Always safeguard your hearing
Safeguarding your hearing is so critical to preventing hearing loss. Reduce your exposure to loud settings (or at least use earmuffs or earplugs when you have to be around noise). Hearing aids can also help you have more effective communication, which can smooth over many rough spots that your hearing loss may 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 might want to take it as a sign that it’s time to get a hearing test when people around you begin to observe your selective hearing getting worse.
