Selective Hearing Drives Couples To Despair
It’s the cause of domestic arguments up and down the country and its existence has long been debated.
Now, new research reveals three quarters of Britons believe their partner has selective hearing.
Over half (54 per cent) admit selective hearing causes more arguments with their partner than anything else, including money troubles and housework, and 83 per cent think that their partner has control over their selective hearing.
The results[1] from a study of 4,000 people have been released by Boots hearingcare as part of its ‘Great Big Hearing Test’ campaign aimed at encouraging people to get their hearing tested.
Nine million people in the UK have hearing loss including 42 per cent of people aged over 50[2], but two thirds have not taken action to address it[3]. People typically wait ten years from the onset of problems until they take action.
Other findings include:
- 61 per cent admit to testing if their partner is really listening by asking them to repeat what they have just said - 70 per cent of women said they regularly use this tactic.
48 per cent think the main indicator that their partner isn’t listening is that they are not making eye contact.
- 42 per cent of women think their partner pretends not to hear when they ask them to do housework, and 56 per cent believe their partner just isn’t interested in what they have to say.
- While 53 per cent think selective hearing becomes more common as people get older, only a third have considered that selective hearing may actually be a symptom of hearing loss.
Yet the relationship battleground can lead to tranquility.
In further ‘Great Big Hearing Test’ research among 5,032 British adults with diagnosed hearing loss, one in three (35 per cent) believe that addressing their hearing loss has significantly improved their relationship with their partner, 18 per cent talk with their partner more often and nearly one in ten argue less. Furthermore, 78 per cent said they now enjoy life more as a result of better hearing.
Audiologist Karen Shepherd says: "Cries of ‘I’m sure you’ve got selective hearing’ and ‘I have to repeat everything three times’ reverberate around households.
"But many people don’t realise that often hearing loss can be the cause. Hearing deteriorates gradually over time so people adapt without realising the impact it is having on themselves and their loved ones.
"While we can ‘tune out’ the sounds around us to concentrate on the matter in hand, if this happens on a regular basis then a hearing impairment may be the cause. A simple hearing test is an easy way to find out and a positive step towards ending this common cause of frustration."
The most common methods used by families to adapt to a relative’s hearing loss are tolerating the TV at a higher volume (54 per cent), repeating what others have said to them in a louder voice (50 per cent), repeating themselves several times until they are heard (40 per cent) and exaggerating their mouth movements to enable the person to lip read (8 per cent).
It’s no wonder that 45 per cent said their partner was the driving force behind getting them to take a hearing test.