Frogsong makes me think of McCartney and We All Stand Together. Definitely should be a word though! When would it be advised to continue with ear defenders going on planes would you think? Another fascinating, thought-provoking article, thank you
Oooh great question. I actually still use ear plugs on planes because I find the noise really gets in my head, and it's so sustained. I think that it's fair to say that it's a pretty unnatural noise at a high level, so there's likely benefit from protecting the ears (and presumably going on planes isn't a daily occurrence!)
I understand hearing protection during band and orchestra practise is much more common now for children too. It's a tradeoff - trying to protect ears from very loud sounds while still allowing diverse soundscapes for learning processing. :)
I've been keeping an ear out for this one for some time now - hoping the scientific evidence is more clear re noise-cancelling headphones. It's been on my mind a lot, specifically every time I pop my noise-cancelling airpods on a tiny part of me cowers and wonders if I'm slowly damaging my ears, or brain! esp with the rise in APD among adults... a really well-rounded take on the culprits and some great tips too!
Another one - slightly unrelated but also on devices.. the effect of the close proximity of radio-frequency devices (mobiles, smart watches etc) on a baby's brain due to thinner skull and less developed nervous system.. we kept ours well away just in case (and my partner is adamant on using airplane mode which drives me nuts when I try to reach him but that's another story)..
I've been pretty careful about my hearing most of my life, with the result being at 41 I can hear more of what's going on in the office than my 20 something coworker. (And the confidential meetings that happen in the conference room next to my office ... aren't.)
I do have processing issues, however. I generally can't listen to music with English lyrics and work, because the lyrics take over my language ability. Surprisingly often, I need my husband to repeat himself, because my brain has interpreted the syllables it heard in truly bizarre ways. I've been told that these kinds of issues are associated with ADHD. Are these kind of processing issues a WEIRD thing?
Interesting. Great question. There are certain conditions that often occur in the same person - auditory processing disorder, ADHD, ASD, sensory processing dysfunction, and more, but they can also occur in isolation. There appear to be genetic components, but there are other factors contributing too. For example, retained primitive reflexes (which I touch on here: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/dancing-in-the-dark ) impede a child's ability to process input between the different senses. And we know that various aspects of WEIRD cultures make retained primitive reflexes much more likely than elsewhere.
So my answer would be that these processing issues are likely found everywhere, but more so in WEIRD cultures. :)
Frogsong makes me think of McCartney and We All Stand Together. Definitely should be a word though! When would it be advised to continue with ear defenders going on planes would you think? Another fascinating, thought-provoking article, thank you
Hadn't thought of that! I love it!
Oooh great question. I actually still use ear plugs on planes because I find the noise really gets in my head, and it's so sustained. I think that it's fair to say that it's a pretty unnatural noise at a high level, so there's likely benefit from protecting the ears (and presumably going on planes isn't a daily occurrence!)
I understand hearing protection during band and orchestra practise is much more common now for children too. It's a tradeoff - trying to protect ears from very loud sounds while still allowing diverse soundscapes for learning processing. :)
I've been keeping an ear out for this one for some time now - hoping the scientific evidence is more clear re noise-cancelling headphones. It's been on my mind a lot, specifically every time I pop my noise-cancelling airpods on a tiny part of me cowers and wonders if I'm slowly damaging my ears, or brain! esp with the rise in APD among adults... a really well-rounded take on the culprits and some great tips too!
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/feb/22/filter-trouble-why-audiologists-worry-noise-cancelling-headphones-may-impair-hearing-skills#:~:text=Excessive%20use%20of%20noise%2Dcancelling,as%20muscles%20weaken%20without%20exercise.
Another one - slightly unrelated but also on devices.. the effect of the close proximity of radio-frequency devices (mobiles, smart watches etc) on a baby's brain due to thinner skull and less developed nervous system.. we kept ours well away just in case (and my partner is adamant on using airplane mode which drives me nuts when I try to reach him but that's another story)..
I've been pretty careful about my hearing most of my life, with the result being at 41 I can hear more of what's going on in the office than my 20 something coworker. (And the confidential meetings that happen in the conference room next to my office ... aren't.)
I do have processing issues, however. I generally can't listen to music with English lyrics and work, because the lyrics take over my language ability. Surprisingly often, I need my husband to repeat himself, because my brain has interpreted the syllables it heard in truly bizarre ways. I've been told that these kinds of issues are associated with ADHD. Are these kind of processing issues a WEIRD thing?
Interesting. Great question. There are certain conditions that often occur in the same person - auditory processing disorder, ADHD, ASD, sensory processing dysfunction, and more, but they can also occur in isolation. There appear to be genetic components, but there are other factors contributing too. For example, retained primitive reflexes (which I touch on here: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/dancing-in-the-dark ) impede a child's ability to process input between the different senses. And we know that various aspects of WEIRD cultures make retained primitive reflexes much more likely than elsewhere.
So my answer would be that these processing issues are likely found everywhere, but more so in WEIRD cultures. :)
Hope that helps!