Podcast Summary
The importance of lip reading in hearing: Losing the ability to distinguish consonants due to hearing loss can significantly impact daily life, especially for those with listening-intensive jobs. Recognizing and addressing hearing loss is crucial.
Our ability to hear goes beyond just being able to detect sounds. It also involves understanding the spoken words, which often relies on seeing people's lips move. Mary Louise Kelly, a host of NPR's All Things Considered, shared her personal experience of losing her ability to distinguish consonants, even with the volume turned up, due to severe to profound hearing loss at higher frequencies. This underscores the importance of addressing hearing loss and recognizing its impact on our daily lives, especially for those whose jobs require good listening skills. The TED Radio Hour, a collaboration between TED and NPR, brings us thought-provoking ideas and speakers that challenge us to broaden our perspectives and understand the world differently. Sign up for an exclusive 20% off IXL membership at IXL.com/NPR to help your kids improve their listening and learning skills.
Rediscovering Music and Clearer Hearing with Hearing Aids: Mary Louise's experience shows how hearing aids can bring new experiences and challenges, allowing for rediscovering music and clearer hearing of loved ones, but also presenting difficulties with social distancing and masks, emphasizing the importance of effective communication.
Hearing aids can bring new experiences and challenges. Mary Louise shares how getting hearing aids allowed her to rediscover music and hear her children clearly for the first time in years. However, she also encountered difficulties with social distancing and masks, making simple conversations more complicated. These challenges highlight how sound and silence shape our auditory experiences differently, and how important it is to find ways to effectively communicate despite these obstacles. For those with hearing loss, adjusting to new technologies and adapting to changing circumstances can be a complex process, but ultimately worthwhile for the improved connections and understanding it brings.
Adapting to Hearing Loss: Mary Louise Kelly's Story: Mary Louise Kelly shares her experience of adapting to hearing loss and continuing her work as a news anchor. Hearing loss is common, caused by aging and damage to ear hair cells, and can be managed with hearing aids and good ear health.
Despite challenges, such as hearing loss, people find ways to persevere and accomplish their goals. Mary Louise Kelly, a news anchor with significant hearing loss, shares her experience of adapting to her condition and continuing her work. Hearing loss is common, particularly in older adults, and is caused by the natural aging process and damage to the tiny hair cells in the ear. Understanding how the ear works can help us appreciate the complexity of our auditory system. Jim Hudspeth, a neuroscience researcher, explains that these hair cells are responsible for converting sound energy into electrical signals that our brain interprets as sound. Despite the fragility of these cells, there are ways to protect and maintain them, such as wearing hearing aids and practicing good ear health. Overall, the human spirit's resilience and the wonders of our body's functions are inspiring reminders that we can overcome obstacles and continue to learn and grow.
Hair cells are active amplifiers in our ears: Hair cells in our ears not only receive sound vibrations but also amplify them, enhancing our hearing ability and making it crucial for daily life and survival. However, this amplification can lead to hearing loss as the cells age or are exposed to loud noises, and unlike other organs, they cannot be replaced.
Hair cells in our ears, which convert sound vibrations into electrical signals for the brain, are not just passive receivers but active amplifiers. This amplification process enhances our ability to hear faint sounds and distinguish different frequencies, making it crucial for our daily life and survival. However, this amplification can also be damaging, leading to hearing loss as the cells age or are exposed to loud noises. Unlike other organs, hair cells are not replaced when they die, making hearing damage irreversible. Some animals, such as fish, amphibians, and birds, can regenerate their hair cells, which raises the question of why evolution has granted this ability to certain species. The answer may lie in the importance of hearing for their survival or the unique characteristics of their biology.
The Evolution of Human Abilities: Loss and Gain: Neuroscientist Jim Hudspith pondered the evolutionary loss of regenerative abilities, while cyborg Rebecca Nill celebrated the gains made possible through technology in her hearing experience.
While humans have lost the ability to regenerate certain body parts like our ears, it may be due to the fact that we live longer and the potential for cancer growth. Neuroscientist Jim Hudspith explained this in relation to hearing loss. Rebecca Nill, a cyborg with a cochlear implant, shared her experience of growing up deaf and how technology has helped her rebuild her sense of hearing. Despite her unique circumstances, she described her childhood as not much different from those who could hear. Both speakers highlighted the advancements in technology and its impact on enhancing human abilities. Jim pondered the evolutionary loss of regenerative abilities, while Rebecca celebrated the gains made possible through technology.
Understanding unique experiences of individuals with hearing loss: Respecting diverse experiences and preferences of individuals with hearing loss is crucial for effective communication and promoting inclusivity.
Individuals with hearing loss have unique experiences and preferences when it comes to communication and their relationship with sound. The speaker, who grew up with atypical hearing capabilities, shares how she functioned more like a hard of hearing person despite having profound deafness, and how she was raised in a family where hearing loss was not discussed. She describes herself as neutral on sound and prefers visual communication due to less effort and being used to it. The speaker also shares her experience of considering a cochlear implant as a means of authenticity rather than a desire to hear, and her appreciation for complete silence and its mind-expanding capabilities. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding and respecting the diverse experiences and preferences of individuals with hearing loss.
Societal Attitudes Towards Individuals with Disabilities and Technology: Societal attitudes towards individuals with disabilities, including those who use technology like cochlear implants, should focus on respect and human connection, not pity or assumptions about capabilities.
Technology, such as cochlear implants, can enable individuals with disabilities to live fulfilling lives and experience the world in unique ways. However, societal perceptions and attitudes towards these individuals can be outdated and limiting. Rebecca Nill, a cochlear implant user, shared her experience of facing pity, patronization, and even anger from people due to her deafness. This attitude betrays a sense of entitlement and narrow-mindedness, as every function in life can be performed in multiple ways. It's important to remember that individuals with disabilities, including those who are deaf, deserve respect and human connection, not pity or assumptions about their capabilities. As technology advances, it's crucial to adapt our perceptions and attitudes to embrace the diversity and potential that it brings.
Emphasizing the importance of visual options for hearing impaired individuals and sound design for emotional experiences: Be mindful of the significance of sound and visual options, ensuring equal opportunities for all and enhancing emotional experiences through sound design
Technology has significantly advanced to bridge gaps and provide equal opportunities for individuals with hearing impairments. Rebecca Nell, a consumer advocate, emphasizes the importance of visual options alongside audio, such as closed captions on streaming platforms. Dallas Taylor, a sound designer, highlights the profound impact of sound design in creating emotional experiences and building entire worlds. Despite the significant role of sound in our lives, we often overlook it, and Nell encourages us to be more mindful of this sense and appreciate its impact on our daily experiences, just as we do with our other senses like sight, touch, taste, and smell.
Exploring the hidden sounds in silence: Through pieces like John Cage's 433 and visits to anechoic chambers, we're reminded to appreciate the sounds in our everyday lives and actively listen to our environment, not just the absence of sound.
Our perception of silence is not the absence of sound, but rather the quiet moments in our lives are filled with sounds we often overlook. The idea of experiencing pure silence is a fascinating concept, but when we remove all external sounds, our body produces its own, such as blood flowing and digestion. John Cage's 433, a piece where the performer plays nothing for four minutes and thirty-three seconds, serves as a reminder to truly listen to our surroundings. In an anechoic chamber, designed to reduce sound to near absolute zero, one can experience the absence of external sounds and hear the inner workings of the body. This exploration of silence challenges us to appreciate the sounds in our everyday lives and to actively listen to our environment.
Appreciating the sounds of our environment: John Cage's 433 piece encourages us to open our ears to the sounds around us, recognizing the unique beauty of our Earth's atmosphere and the importance of our ears in perceiving it.
That John Cage's 433 piece, which consists of four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence, is not about creating silence or controlling noise, but rather about appreciating the sounds that are already present in our environment. Our ears, which are attuned to the atmosphere on Earth, are incredibly special as they can only travel a few miles before sound disappears, unlike light which can travel across the universe. Cage wanted us to open up our sense of hearing and curate it, recognizing that everything can be music if we choose to see it that way. Our ears are unique to our atmosphere on Earth, and understanding this can help us appreciate the beauty of the sonic world around us. To learn more about the fascinating stories behind sound, check out Dallas Taylor's TED Talk and his podcast, 20,000 Hertz.
