New research has revealed that selective hearing – the ability to filter out unwanted conversation and noise – is more prevalent amongst men.
The revelation, which probably comes as little to no surprise to us ladies, was among the findings of a national survey conducted on behalf of Specsavers looking at Irish people’s attitudes towards hearing loss.
In the online survey, three-quarters of men admitted to tuning out of conversations, with 75% of men stating that they switch off from conversations about celebrity culture. Two thirds of male respondents said that they tune out when the topic turns to style and shopping.
Although selective hearing is something we more commonly associate with men, 50% of female respondents said they are guilty of not listening to discussions relating to sport, with a third ignoring anything to do with finance and technology. The survey also found that 38% of Irish adults would avoid certain social situations if they were diagnosed with hearing loss in order to avoid embarrassment or having to ask people to repeat themselves.
While selective hearing is not necessarily linked to any physical impairment, people with selective hearing are able to hear the words but their minds consciously or subconsciously do not process what is being said, hence they don’t perceive the sounds.
Of course if a woman speaks and no one is listening, it’s probably because her name is mum.
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