“Why is the music so loud?”
“My throat is sore from screaming over the music!”
“They just turned the music up. What are they thinking?”
These quotes reflect the sentiment of the gathered attendees at my 30th college reunion. Yes, we are all in our mid-50s now—perhaps that is part of the issue—but other reunion classes shared similar feedback.
Whatever the reason, the message is loud and clear (no pun intended), keeping background music at a low level is more conducive to conversation and connection, especially in a large group setting.
Is the World Getting Louder?
It certainly seems that way to me. At movies, sporting events, restaurants, and even when walking down the street, the background buzz seems more robust than it used to be. Perhaps it is a new cultural norm. And a dangerous one.
If things aren’t loud, they are somehow deemed old-fashioned, boring, or dull. It’s as if loud has somehow become equivalent to fun! That is a problem given the misunderstood risks of hearing loss from exposure to loud sounds. Hearing loss is permanent. There is currently no cure, and the associated tinnitus (ringing in the ears) can sometimes be just as bad, or worse.
Lots of Anecdotal Evidence
Movies and Theater Performances
I often wear noise-cancelling headphones at the movies, because the audio volume is so loud. Especially during the previews! When we ask the theater to lower the volume, it is rarely successful. With noise-cancelling headphones and a caption reader (to access the dialogue), I can usually make it work, but it is often easier to wait and stream movies at home where I can better control the sound environment.
The same goes for certain Broadway shows. I try to bring my noise-cancelling headphones in case my seats are closer to the speakers than I hoped. It’s great to have spare earplugs handy for my seatmates as well.
Sporting Events
There have even been loudness contests at sporting venues. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the loudest crowd roar at an indoor sports event was 130.4 dBA, achieved by Kansas Jayhawks fans at a men’s basketball game versus West Virginia in 2017. For outdoor sporting events, a record was set in 2014 at a football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots, with crowd noise reaching 142.2 dBA.
This is equivalent to the sound of a jet taking off and can damage hearing in less than 1 minute of exposure. The irony is that most stadiums don’t allow smoking any longer due to strict second-hand smoking laws. What about second-hand noise?
Restaurants
Studies show that when restaurants and bars play loud music, diners eat and drink faster, and therefore purchase more drinks, the highest margin part of the meal. I can understand wanting to drive revenue, but putting patrons and staff in harm’s way is not a good option.
More Education is Needed
All this loudness is very frustrating for everyone—remember the unhappy attendees at my recent college reunion— but perhaps even more so for people with hearing loss. Not only does all this noise make it incredibly unpleasant to be out and about, but it also makes it unsafe, oftentimes without people’s knowledge.
We need to continue to educate employers, government officials, schools, and our friends and families about the risks of hearing damage, so we can take the necessary steps to keep our ears safe. Perhaps guidelines can even be established that advise restaurants and other public spaces about safe sound levels, similar to rules that exist for workplaces.
To learn more about protecting your hearing from noise, visit this page on the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders website.
Shari Eberts is a passionate hearing health advocate and internationally recognized author and speaker on hearing loss issues. She is the founder of Living with Hearing Loss, a popular blog and online community for people with hearing loss, and an executive producer of We Hear You, an award-winning documentary about the hearing loss experience. Her book, Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss, (co-authored with Gael Hannan) is the ultimate survival guide to living well with hearing loss. Shari has an adult-onset genetic hearing loss and hopes that by sharing her story, she will help others to live more peacefully with their own hearing issues. Connect with Shari: Blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter.
