Sunday, May 18, 2008

Hearing hairs in your ears

Did you know that there are sounds that adults can't hear, but kids and teenagers can? I can't remember what website I saw this mentioned, but the kids can get ringtones for their cell phones that the adults cannot hear. That just seems so Harry Potter, I didn't believe it. The ringtones are called "mosquito" and you can test your hearing over here, and see which rings you can and can't hear. Spouse couldn't hear the 49 and under one (if I were more of an asshole, I'd mock him here parenthetically) and I couldn't hear the 24 and under. I could hear the 30 and under, but just barely. The numbers refer to how old you need to be to hear the sound. Apparently, you've got some hairs in your ear that aid in your hearing and you lose those hairs as you get older.

24 comments:

lattégirl said...

I am going to email this post to my 19-year-old son and see which ones he can hear.

Anonymous said...

If anybody has more hair in their ears than me I'd like to see them. Mine seem to be used to block hearing but they do grow super fast. Ed

Anonymous said...

I could hear until the 24 and under, but in my defense, I had a teenager yakking in my other ear.
-Rox

RJ March said...

r u kidding me? i've got hair in my ears that surely don't aid me in any way.

Cooper said...

Kids definitely have selective hearing. I don't know what this says about me, but I can hear the 18 and younger.

don said...

You mean it's ok to leave all that hair in your ears? Gross! No way. I am going to continue to remove them and blame my poor hearing on all those Ted Nugent concerts that I went to in my youth.
Hairy ears. Gross me out. Give me a poo story anytime.

My adventures said...

I got to the 18khz on 24 and younger, I guess it's just my eyes that need help. I'd never hear that if I weren't listening for it though.

Butch said...

OK. . . Where are those hearing-aids?! I couldn't hear everything down from 12kHz (50 and younger). I imagine since I will be 61 yrs old soon, it is par. What was that? What did you say? . . .

Sh@ney said...

LOL...Well that shot my 'selective hearing' theory to hell!

All this time I thought I was purposely being ignorant, turns out I am just deaf! :P

travelling, but not in love said...

In the UK they use special sirens that send out high pitched sounds that only teenagers can hear to stop them hanging around outside shops at night.

Apparently it works...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/staffordshire/4739524.stm

Lacey said...

I tried this test but it didn't work. My phone didn't ring at all. Nary a peep.

Um...oh. Wait. Oh crap.

Anonymous said...

I could hear the 39 and under if I really, really tried and because I knew it was playing. But then, I already knew that my hearing is not the best.

Patrick said...

I couldn't hear anything below age 50. That disturbed me, but given the decibel levels I've been exposed to on a daily basis over the past thirteen years years, I guess it doesn't surprise me. I'm going to start wearing my earplugs on the subway again.

TED said...

Apparently my ears are older than the rest of me.

Anonymous said...

man! I feel like I failed a competition. I could hear the 60 and 50 and under just swell; the 49 and under, not at all.

Maybe I've just listened to music too many times with headphones?

Oh wait... it just goes along with my "Over 55" vibe.

Drats.

A Lewis said...

Hairs in your ears? Hell, they grow EVERYWHERE you don't want them to be. I wonder what those are for????

A Lewis said...

Okay, now I'm feeling REALLY old after listening.

Polt said...

I could hear the 39 and under, which made me happy since I'm 40. Oh, I know it's not much, but I'm clinging to anything I can, ya know?

Was disappointed to not be able to hear the rest though....

HUGS...

mare said...

Thanks!

I'm 44 and I can still hear like an 18 year old.

Now if only I could do all the other things 18 year olds can do...

(I think it also depends how good your computer speakers are; test with headphones)

Anonymous said...

I was about to get very depressed at not being able to hear the 49 and younger (hell, I only JUST turned 40), but then I decided to keep trying and though it's not much consolation, I was able to hear the 17.4 and 18khz for 24 and younger; so I've decided I can hear like a 24-year old. Much better for my currently battered ego...

Thydess said...

this is like the coolest thing... :)

Greg said...

Whew...I can still hear the 39 and younger tones...but after that just clicks.

Coop, you're such a kid...but I bet living in the woods preserves your hearing better, too!

I heard--well, read--that one of our local business has installed one of those mosquito things to keep the local kids from loitering...

Patricia said...

I feel like a geezer and thought for sure it was rigged til I read other people who could hear the lower tones. Bastards.

Unknown said...

They're actually hair cells in the cochlea (the hearing organ in the inner ear) that tend to get worn away over time due to the normal aging process, loud noise exposure, certain chemicals, etc.

Congrats on the 3 years.