The hypothesis that the headphones equipped with noise cancellation methods can cause hearing problems in young people, such as the hearing elaboration disorder (APDAuditory Processing Disorder), was put forward in an article in the BBC entitled “Are the anti -pitch headphones the cause of young people’s hearing problems?“, published in February by the British radio and television broadcaster. The news, which quickly went around the world, was based on anecdotal stories and speculative hypotheses treated as if they were a scientific study. These conclusions were promptly contested by the McGill University and from New York Timeswho underlined the lack of scientific studies able to demonstrate a cause-effect relationship Between the use of headphones with noise cancellation and the APD, highlighting that, at the moment, it is a simple correlation.
Auditory disorders and the use of anti -pitch headphones: the hypotheses of correlation
Through an article published last February, the BBC reported the news according to which 5 Departments of Audiology of English National Health System have detected an increase in the number of cases of neurological hearing processing disorder (APD) in Great Britain, and a potential cause, according to these sources, could reside in the prolonged use of headphones with noise cancellation.
To explain the APD in simple words, it can be said that the brain has difficulty using and interpreting the acoustic information that comes from the ear. Those who suffer from this condition, in fact, does not present deficits at the level of the internal earwhich is able to convert sound waves into nervous signals, but rather at the level of areas of the brain which elaborate, filter and interpret the auditory information that comes from the ear.
APD patients report difficulty in understanding sounds (especially of speech), decipher its location and, above all, in separate background environmental noises (like the ticking of the computer keys or traffic noise) from a sound of interest (like the sound of speech). In a nutshell, they are able to hear, but not to listen.
One of the hypotheses according to which the use of headphones Noise Canceling It is related to the increase in hearing disorders maintains that these devices perform a task that would normally be up to the brain: filter sounds and give priority to the most relevant auditory information. Since the brain is a plastic body, that is, capable of changing on the basis of the stimuli received, a constant exposure to a isolated environment without background noises it could make it less trained to distinguish between important and irrelevant sounds, creating a hearing chaos in everyday life. In practice, it is as if we witnessed a concert in which the volume of the microphones of all the tools is set at the same level, making us unable to perceive a harmonic melody or the lyrics of the song.
This explanation would also justify why theIncrease in cases Above all, it concerns the youngest. THE auditory circuits they only mature in late adolescence: if in this phase the brain is not adequately educated and is accustomed to one only sound sourcewhether a podcast or a song, it may not optimally develop the ability to manage more sounds simultaneously and pay attention to the important ones, two key symptoms of the APD disorder.
Without scientific evidence the hypotheses remain speculation
The rapid diffusion of the article immediately alerted the public, worried by the spread of a possible “epidemic” of APD. On the other hand, the use of headphones has now become part of our daily life, not only in moments of leisure, but also for work or during sports activities. For this reason, it is better to clarify and reiterate that There are no scientific studies who demonstrate one causal relationship between the use of headphones with noise cancellation And it Development of APD. That detected by the BBC, to date, cannot be considered a cause-effect relationship, but one simple correlation which, however, could be conditioned by some factors to be taken into consideration.
For example, as highlighted by an article published byMcGill Universityauthoritative Canadian Institute, the headphones With cancellation of the noise they are used precisely by patient APD to reduce “acoustic chaos”, dampening environmental noises and helping them to concentrate on a signal of interest (such as speech). In addition, the APD is one common comorbidity associated with neurodiversity conditions such as theautismthe dyslexia or theADHD (Attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity), in which anti -pitch headphones are used to mitigate the greater sensitivity to the auditory stimuli exhibited by children, helping them to concentrate. The same the institute highlights how the BBC article takes into consideration a Sample too small and restricted To draw general conclusions, underlining how, on the contrary, in America No increase in APD has been observed, whose diagnosis also remains the subject of debate among experts, making it difficult to obtain coherent and reliable data to measure any trend.
Also the New York Times He entered the debate by puncturing how the only known causes of APD are attributable, in addition to cranial trauma, a Pathologies of early childhood. This could justify the increase in cases observed among the youngest: while in childhood and adolescence the brain would be able to use compensatory strategies To mask the deficits, once grown up and exposed to environments that require greater listening and attention, such as the university classrooms or the work environments, The defects may emerge. Alternatively, the increase in cases observed between the boys could be attributable to one general reduction from the attention threshold caused by the prolonged use of smartphones.
Alone future studies They will be able to clarify the relationship between the use of headphones with noise cancellation and the APD. Until then, the hypotheses reported remain speculationor assumptions not yet corroborated by scientific evidence, and therefore they must not be considered absolute truths.
