Happiness brings to mind so many memorable moments spent with the people we love. We think about the days we spent on vacations, family dinners, and special dates with our partner. Rarely do we think about the fact that none of these memorable moments would be quite as memorable if we did not have our hearing aids.
Our memories are evoked by strong visual and verbal cues. Imagine if all your favorite memories played out like a silent movie; completely muted or with muffled sounds, would they be quite as memorable? If we were unable to hear the sweet nothings whispered to us by our partner, or the trickling laughter of our grandchildren, none of these memories would make us quite as happy. This is where hearing aids come in to save the day.
Hearing aids have been shown to improve interpersonal relationships. Hearing loss brings with it several disadvantages such as social isolation, depression, and conflict in personal relations. With the use of hearing aids, you can rejoin the social gatherings and improve communication with your loved ones.
Research supports the finding that relationships have a positive impact when hearing aids are used to treat hearing loss. The Hear-the-World foundation conducted a survey of 4,000 adult participants and reported that approximately 70% of participants that used hearing aids found a significant positive influence within their interpersonal relationships. This finding was supported by an international organization named Hear-It, which explored ALL the peer-reviewed journal articles regarding the advantages of wearing hearing aids published all over Europe, as well as the United States and Australia.
Not only are personal relationships benefitted through the use of hearing aids. Cognitive abilities and productivity at work also improves due to hearing aids. The University of Texas conducted a study which explored people wearing hearing aids aged between 50-69 years. After wearing hearing aids for merely a fortnight, the participants reported an improvement in their cognitive abilities and improved efficiency at tasks in their workplace.
Untreated hearing damage results in a loss of income of approximately $14,000 annually compared to those who wear hearing aids. This means that hearing aids improves your productivity at work and enables you to earn the salary that you are worthy of.
Hearing loss often results in depression due to social isolation and strained relationships. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders conducted a study which reported that more than 10% of those suffering from untreated hearing loss suffer from depression. Depression accounts for only five percent of those with regular hearing in the American population. They also reported that people wearing hearing aids were far less likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder, when compared to those with untreated hearing loss.
In fact, according to a study conducted at the Johns Hopkins University, people who did not use hearing aids to rectify their hearing loss had a 57% higher likelihood of an onset of depression compared to those with regular hearing. Hearing aids improve your daily life, your personal relations and professional productivity. If you or a loved one has hearing loss, talk to your audiologist about getting hearing aids.