Our ears never sleep. We can’t turn them off. Every day we are exposed to an endless variety of sounds. This means that our hearing has to work with extreme precision to process and make sense of our surroundings. The ability to hear is such an integral part of our lives that most people take it for granted, and we seldom realize how important it is to us until we think that we might lose it. While hearing loss is the world’s single most preventable disability, it is also one of the most common. Being aware of our own hearing is the first step toward protecting it.

Why do we depend so heavily on our hearing?

An unborn child picks up sounds, voices, and even music, storing them as unconscious memories in its brain. Later on, it associates these familiar sounds with safety and security. After it is born, a properly functioning sense of hearing helps the child learn to speak and to understand speech.

Good hearing gives us spatial orientation. The ability to hear sounds properly can save our lives. For example, when we are in traffic, how often do we hear an approaching vehicle before we can see it? To be able to judge how close a vehicle is and from what direction it is coming, we need two ears that are functioning correctly.

Hearing opens up the world of the spoken word, and thus direct communication with other people. It is the key to interpersonal relationships and social activities, where the ability to hear nuanced sound is most important. In conversation, it is not just the words themselves that matter, but also the intonation and volume that give the words their full meaning. What would we do if we were no longer able to identify these fine distinctions and undertones?

Some sounds, such as music, the sounds of nature, or the voices of loved ones, speak to us on an emotional plane. Because of this, good hearing plays a crucial part in our perceived quality of life.