Washington - Saba:
An international scientific study has revealed that gender may affect ear sensitivity to sound more than age. The results showed that women's ears are more sensitive to sounds than men's.
Science Alert explained that these results came after tests were conducted on 448 participants from five different countries. It was found that women exhibited greater sensitivity to sounds at low, medium, and high frequencies.
The results showed that the fine hairs in women's cochleas were 2 decibels more sensitive than men's, a difference that can be measured in hearing tests, although it is not noticeable in everyday life.
The study's lead researcher, Patricia Balaresque, from Paul Sabatier University in France, noted that "the effect of age on the decline in cochlear sensitivity remains secondary to gender and environmental factors."
The research team used a cochlear otoacoustic emissions test to analyze the hearing sensitivity of participants from Ecuador, England, Gabon, South Africa, and Uzbekistan.
The results revealed that gender was the main biological factor explaining individual differences in test results, followed by age. Regarding non-biological factors, the researchers found that the environment had a greater impact on hearing sensitivity than age, with rural residents performing better than those living in urban or high-altitude areas.
The study raised questions about the reasons for these gender differences. The researchers suggested that exposure to hormones during early development may play a role in the formation of the hair cells within the cochlea. They also noted that women generally performed better on various hearing tests, indicating greater efficiency in the functions of the inner and outer ear.
Evolutionary biologist Tori King of the University of Bath commented, "We don't know exactly why these differences occur, but increased hearing sensitivity in noisy environments may not always be a positive thing, given the detrimental effects of noise on overall health, such as sleep quality and increased risk of heart disease."
This study is one of the first detailed studies to examine the factors influencing inner ear sensitivity using an ethnically and linguistically diverse sample. The researchers recommend further studies to understand gender differences in hearing, which will help develop hearing aids more appropriate for individual differences.
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