Sometimes a person’s development of hearing loss through aging is a sensitive subject that tends to stir emotions ranging from embarrassment to frustration. Now, researchers have recently solidified how auditory impairment can produce various swings in emotions in the elderly.
Doctors from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden analyzed 400 participants aged between 80 and 98 years, to see how declines in their hearing impacted their overall personality. For a duration of six years, the subjects were tested every two years for their physical and mental well-being, and how their hearing capabilities impacted behavior including social activity, emotional stability and overall quality of life.
The researchers found that the only physical attribute that was connected to decreases in social involvement and unstable emotions was through hearing loss. The study also advocated the importance of seniors using hearing aids if their auditory levels were less than usual for their age.
Dr. Anne Ingeborg Berg, a psychologist at the University of Gothenburg and lead author of the study, felt that her team’s research was revolutionary in regards to how emotions are affected by hearing.
“To our knowledge, this is the first time a link between hearing and personality changes has been established in longitudinal studies,” Berg said in a statement. “We can guess that the link between hearing loss and social withdrawal forms a potential threat to older people’s wellbeing.”
The study also reflected the importance of letting someone you know who is affected by hearing loss understand that there is always support for them wherever they are. The more affection that is felt through simply communicating about auditory damage, the greater someone with hearing loss will feel knowing that their condition is understood and appreciated.
