If you’re someone who dates men and you often feel like your boyfriend is ignoring you, you’re definitely not imagining things. In fact, a new study found that men really do ignore their partners a whopping 388 times a year on average, thanks to “selective hearing.”
- Three-quarters of Brits believe their partner has selective hearing. That’s right, 75% of people, both men and women, believe that their partners listen to them when it’s convenient and completely tune them out when they’re not interested or simply can’t be bothered to pay attention. And yes, men are worse for this than women.
- Men “don’t hear” their partners 388 times a year. That’s more than there are days in a year! The number was the result of a study done by Scrivens Hearing Care, who also discovered that women’s selective hearing kicks in 339 times a year, which is still a considerable amount.
- Is it about more than rudeness or laziness? Scrivens thinks so. In fact, they believe that “selective hearing” could sometimes be down to an actual inability to hear, something that roughly half of the 2,000 people surveyed by the company admitted to worrying about. In addition, about 40% of respondents said they “know with certainty” that their partner has hearing difficulties. Whether or not they’re doing anything about it is another matter.
- A lot of people said their partners mumble. About 47% of people surveyed said that their partners often mumble when they speak, while a third said that they believe their partner tries to read lips to understand what’s being said. Combined with the selective hearing aspect, this could be a major sign of hearing difficulties.
- Hearing loss is a serious issue. “Most of us will have experienced ‘selective hearing’ – either being the accused or the accuser. But joking aside, ‘selective hearing’ could be a sign of hearing loss. Left ignored, hearing loss can lead to isolation, depression and there is evidence of a link with dementia,” said Scrivens senior hearing aid audiologist Kirran Saimbi. “The changes in our hearing are often so subtle and happen over time, that it can be very hard for us to notice the impact it’s having on our lives and those around us. That’s why regular hearing checks are so important.”
- Maybe it’s not our fault. Sure, many of us ARE guilty of actual selective hearing because we’re too busy reading, scrolling through our phones, playing a video game, or any number of other things. If we make an effort to be more attentive in our relationships, we may see these numbers go way down.
[H/T UNILAD]
