Valentine M
Bio
Stories (2/0)
Are headphones destroying our hearing? . AI-Generated.
Are headphones destroying our hearing? I’ve been wearing headphones constantly and recently started wondering if all that listening could be bad for me. This led me down a rabbit hole where I discovered the alarming statistic that over a billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss. Am I one of those billion? In an age where we give our ears less of a break than ever before, how can we ensure we’re not losing our hearing long term? What tools do we have to minimize that damage? First, wearing headphones doesn’t automatically mean you’ll develop hearing loss. Dr. Amy Saro, a Doctor of Audiology, explained to me how fragile our hearing is. It’s all about the tiny hair cells in our ears. When these hair cells are healthy, they stand upright like a field of wheat. But when sound passes through, it can bend them like a tornado. If you’re lucky, they can rebuild themselves, but repeated or loud exposure can cause permanent damage. This damage is both due to the duration and the loudness of the sound, measured in decibels (dB), which work on a logarithmic scale. For example, increasing the volume from 85 dB to 88 dB actually doubles the loudness. We’re often listening louder than we realize. For instance, music at 110 dB or more isn’t uncommon when trying to overpower external noises like a train or a noisy coffee shop. The US Department of Labor recommends no more than 8 hours of exposure to 85 dB for a safe working environment. You can limit your phone’s volume settings to help, but if that makes hearing difficult, lowering the surrounding noise might be a better option. Noise-cancelling headphones can help here. Though I initially thought noise cancellation was just a marketing gimmick, I learned it’s actually a valuable defense in noisy environments. There are two types: passive, which physically blocks sound, and active, which uses microphones to counteract sound waves. Active noise cancellation works by generating an “anti-wave” to cancel out the incoming sound wave, effectively reducing noise. However, noise cancellation is best at removing persistent low-frequency hums, like airplane or train engines, but less effective against higher frequency sounds, like birds chirping or sudden loud noises. When the world feels too loud emotionally, taking a moment to pause and possibly talk to someone can also help. Back to the topic: creating silence in a noisy environment feels magical but raises questions. Does noise cancellation have a volume? If it’s working properly, it should not produce a sound. According to Luke Keller, a professor of physics and astronomy, the cancellation happens in the electronics, not in your head, meaning noise-cancelling headphones do protect your ear hair cells. So, while any decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones can protect your ears, they aren’t a solution for everything. For concerts or operating loud machinery, there are better ways to protect your ears. We need to make a conscious effort to protect our hearing. Just like we use sunscreen to prevent sunburns, we need to be mindful of noise exposure, even though its damage is invisible. The first headphones were invented in the 1880s as a communication tool, not for listening to music. Early models were large and heavy, weighing around 10 pounds. Headphones come in many different sizes and styles, including on-ear, in-ear, bone conduction, and open-ear earbuds. On-ear headphones are often more comfortable and have better sound quality than in-ear headphones. Bone conduction headphones transmit sound vibrations through the user's skull, while open-ear earbuds don't cover or block the ears. Headphones can help people focus by blocking out external noise, which can be useful for studying, working, or taking online classes.
By Valentine M3 days ago in Education
How the internet is changing your brain
How the internet is changing your brain. Imagine life without the internet. Some of us remember a time before everything was connected, but now the idea of living without smartphones, maps, and search engines at our fingertips seems completely alien. Our increasing reliance on the online world is affecting us in many ways: it changes our relationships, alters our sources of information, and transforms how we interact with each other. These shifts are even having noticeable effects on our brains. As more devices depend on the internet, global access is continually increasing. In 2016, an estimated 3.5 billion people worldwide accessed online services. The top three countries were China with 721 million users, followed by India, and then the US with 290 million users. The most common language used online is English, followed by Chinese and Spanish. Our dependence on the internet is significant and growing. The use of technology varies significantly across generations. Those who had to adapt to new technology and those who grew up with it readily accessible show distinct patterns. Generation X, born between the mid-1960s and early 1980s, logged an average of 110 minutes of mobile internet usage each day. In contrast, Millennials, born from the early 1980s onward and who grew up with the internet, averaged 185 minutes per day. Social media and messaging apps have become crucial for how we live and communicate, with over a billion people regularly using apps like WhatsApp, and even more using platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. As internet use increases, our behavior changes accordingly. Communication through these platforms has become more common, leading to a decline in phone calls and text messages. The rise of online shopping and services has also caused a sharp decline in the use of traditional high street stores, transforming the look of our towns and cities compared to a few decades ago. This shift can be attributed to the availability of online resources. With such a wealth of information at our fingertips, how is all this affecting our brains? The prevalence of the internet Is changing the way we work. Millennials, for example, have been found to be far more forgetful than previous generations. This is thought to be a direct result of the constant distractions that connectivity brings. The basic principle behind memory is that the more a piece of information is repeated and thought about in your short-term memory, the stronger it is stored within your long-term memory. However, constant new information prevents this process from taking place as effectively, resulting in less information being permanently stored. Additionally, knowing that information is readily available online makes you less likely to form a memory of it. For example, while previous generations would have memorized directions on a map, there is now a reliance on accessing GPS apps. We are also becoming more addicted to our smartphones, with constant glances to check for messages or updates. This habit of being distracted means our brains are less used to transitioning into deeper modes of thinking, making it more difficult to do so when needed. Research has shown that the constant flow of information has led to a loss of cognitive control. This means our ability to control our minds and decide what to think about is reducing. The more you rely on your phone and apps to provide information, the less able you are to determine what is important to focus on. We are increasingly concerned with new information rather than what is actually important. So, what can be done? Although technology is clearly affecting the way our brains work, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Throughout history, inventions have always enabled us to focus less on one thing so our time can be used elsewhere. For example, washing machines mean that people spend far less time cleaning clothes, allowing these extra hours to be taken up by work or other activities. Similarly, the ability to communicate and find information much faster on the internet means we have extra mental capacity for other processes. However, reducing screen time can help keep our brains more active and malleable. It’s a good idea to be aware of how much time you spend on distractions each day. My advice is to keep track of your screen time and unplug every once in a while.
By Valentine M3 days ago in Families