Listen right if you want to hear a bit better

Researchers hope study of how the brain interprets noise will help improve hearing aids and testing

A study has shown a scientific basis for the apparently odd instinctive reaction of cocking one’s head to the right-hand side when struggling to hear someone speak. Researchers in the US say the brain is set up for the right ear to be better equipped for making sense of noise.

MANY people, when struggling to hear, will naturally cock their head to the right-hand side in an effort to make out the sound.

Now a study has shown that the instinctual movement has a scientific basis. The right ear is indeed better equipped for not only listening but also making sense of noise.

And it has to do with how the brain interprets sound. Listening is a complex task that requires not only sensitive hearing but also the ability to turn the information into meaning.

Once you add the distraction of background noise and the constant interruptions of modern life, that ability to comprehend becomes far more tricky. However, sound entering the right ear is processed by the left side of the brain, which controls speech, language development and portions of memory.

So turning the right ear towards the speaker, or noise source, will allow more information to travel to the side of the brain where it can be more easily interpreted, according to audiology researchers at Auburn University in Alabama.

It is the first time the effect has been found to work in adults.

“Conventional research shows that right-ear advantage diminishes around age 13, but our results indicate this is related to the demand of the task,” said Dr Aurora Weaver, assistant professor at Auburn and member of the research team.

For the experiment, 41 participants aged between 19 and 28 were asked to wear a headset and recall a list of numbers played into either their right or left earpiece. The researchers found that when the list of numbers was small – fewer than six digits – there was no difference in ear performance. However, as the list grew, results were an average of 8per cent better when the numbers were played into the right ear. The performance of some improved as much as 41per cent for the right ear.

Scientists knew that children hear more easily through the right ear but it was thought that by adulthood, both ears had taken on equal load.

The team is hoping the research will help improve hearing aids and deafness testing.

Danielle Sacchinelli, a researcher, added: “The more we know about listening in demanding environments, and listening effort in general, the better diagnostic tools, auditory management, including hearing aids, and auditory training will become.”

The study could also help scientists understand how deafness impacts neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The research was presented at the annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in New Orleans.