Much age-related hearing decline stems from environmental noise, not aging itself
Evidence
A study on a tribe of Mabaan Africans in the Sudan showed very little hearing loss due to presbycusis. Africans at the age of sixty had as good or better hearing than the average North American at the age of twenty-five. Dr. Samuel Rosen, a New York otologist under whose supervision the study was made, attributed the superior hearing ability of the Africans to their noise-free environment. The loudest sounds the Mabaan heard were the sounds of their own voices singing and shouting at tribal dances. — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 621
Categorization
- SEED: Article angle: the quiet society as control group for hearing health; challenges presbycusis as natural aging.
- QUESTION: Are there follow-up replications confirming Rosen’s Mabaan findings?
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 621
- XREF: connects to: Temporary hearing muffling may become permanent with repetition — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1696; Noise harms the cardiovascular system even without disturbing sleep — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1063; Excessive noise causes widespread hearing damage and tinnitus in the US population — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 357 (+9 more)
Broader Connections
- Excessive noise causes widespread hearing damage and tinnitus in the US population
#corroborates(0.60) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 357 - Tens of millions of Americans suffer environment-caused deafness or tinnitus
#corroborates(0.60) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 4 - Pre-industrial daily life exposed people to far lower sound levels than today
#corroborates(0.50) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 152