Trivia Junction

A Compendium of trivia I find interesting
...for the curious

Who Hears Better, Whites, Mexicans, Turtles
or Dick Cheney

Say what?

A study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health asserts that women hear better than men, that black adults hear better than white adults, and that hearing in general in the United States is no better or worse than it was 35 years ago.

Some of the study's results are similar to previous findings, but the sampling – more than 5,000 people taking hearing tests between 1999 and 2004 – is the largest ever.

The racial difference in hearing, study researcher William Murphy said, could be related to differing levels of melanin, a darkening skin pigment. Some scientists have argued that melanin plays a role in removing harmful chemical compounds in the body, including those that can cause damage to the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear. More melanin, presumably, would remove more damaging compounds.

On the other hand, gender differences in hearing are probably due to the amount of noise exposure people experience growing up, Elliot Berger, a hearing protection expert, told the Associated Press.

“Boys have typically done noisier activities,” he said.

The finding that overall hearing in the United States has not declined contradicts other studies, however. Earlier studies have claimed Americans do not hear as well as in the past, due in large part to the ubiquitous use of iPods, Walkmans and the like played at excessively loud volumes.

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