Programme background

It’s no secret that too much noise can damage hearing. But how much is too much, who is most at risk, what exactly is damaged, and what can we do about it?

Most people realise that working all your life in a noisy job (without ear plugs or ear defenders) can damage your hearing. But what about recreational noise, such as nightclubs and earphones, which is a bigger issue these days – is it really a problem? And how much is too much, what is damaged, and who should be most careful?

In truth, scientists just aren’t sure yet. Noise can damage various parts of the ear and brain, and some of this damage is hard to detect, especially if different types occur together. To complicate the picture further, some people have ‘tougher’ ears than others, so two people exposed to the same noise might have different consequences.

Collectively, this means that if we measure hearing from fairly small groups of people, at single timepoints, and don’t take account of individual differences, we won’t uncover the true effects of noise. Unfortunately, that’s what much past noise research has done.

To improve scientific understanding of the effects of noise on hearing, we are working to:

• gather hearing data from large groups of people
• take into account individual differences
• detect multiple types of ‘hidden’ hearing damage
• measure hearing changes over time
• pre-register research to ensure unbiased results