Hearing with Two Ears

Binaural Listening

(hearing with two ears)

You have two ears for a very good reason. Besides insurance against the loss of your receptive organ for communication two ears enable better hearing. This is particularly true in difficult listening situations with background noise.

Hearing with two ears accomplishes two things that achieve significant advantage for understanding speech in noise.

1. Localization of sound. Sound input from two ears enables the brain to identify the location of the sound by distinguishing between volume differences between the two inputs for high pitch sounds and timing differences between the two inputs for low pitch. This ‘processing’ of the inputs from the two ears takes place in the lower brainstem. Without two inputs such localization cannot be accomplished.

2. Filtering of the localized sound. After the sound from both ears is ‘processed’ in the brainstem the brain can then focus attention on the sound of interest and effectively ‘filter’ other noises in the environment.

Thus, binaural listening offers the necessary input for the brain to best achieve effective communication in the presence of background noise.

Perhaps the most important reason people with symmetric hearing loss should use hearing aids in both ears is auditory deprivation or the ‘use it or lose it’ rule. Scientific studies indicate that over the course of many years neglect of auditory input to one ear causes significant reduction in the ability of that ear to discriminate words. Therefore, if amplification is provided to only one ear of a person with symmetric hearing loss, word discrimination in the unaided ear will significantly decline over years of disuse. Keep both ears working for better hearing!