A study published in Scientific Reports revealed that men and women hear differently. Women have more sensitive hearing than men. The study's findings are surprising, as, irrespective of age and where they live, women consistently showed better hearing ability than men. This biological difference is believed to be due to evolution as well.
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What did the study reveal?
As per the findings, women have better hearing with a clear difference of about two decibels on average. This is true across different environments and age groups. The researchers examined the hearing abilities of 448 healthy adults from 13 diverse groups across five countries. There was immense diversity in terms of the places they lived in, from rural, urban to high-altitude areas. But consistently, the results resoudingly showed women to have better hearing than men. In fact, women had better hearing at all types of sounds, not just the higher-pitched ones.
Biological differences
As per the researchers, it is indicative of a universal biological trait among women, which potentially causes subtle differences in inner ear structure or maybe hormonal differences.
Most surprisingly, even if hearing abilities declined with age, females still had better hearing than their male counterparts of the age group. A small pattern was seen in that the right ear was slightly more sensitive than the left ear.
Environmental differences
The study also focused on the environment, showing where you live can also change how you hear. As per the study, people living at higher altitudes, like in the Andes, have worse hearing due to lower oxygen levels, while those in tropical forests have better hearing for animal-related sounds. City dwellers, exposed to constant noise, have enhanced sensitivity to higher-pitched sounds.