Why do some people have difficulty having a conversation
in a busy restaurant?
Have you ever had trouble following a conversation in a loud and crowded place such as a busy restaurant or cafeteria? And you were not sure why because you can hear just fine in less noisy environments?
Unfortunately, many listeners have that problem, especially as they age. In many cases the inability to follow a conversation in background noise has nothing to do with the ability to perceive the sound (which is done by the ears) but rather the ability to isolate the sound from background noise (which is done by the brain).
Our research lab has studied this problem for many years both in human subjects and animal models. We share both our results and the results of our colleagues on this site. We distill the sometimes overwhelming amount of information into a series of blog posts that can be searched and filtered with keywords. Check back regularly for new articles or follow us social media to get notifications when something new is posted.
Link: Description of our currently active research projects - from a scientific perspective.
Link: Blog “The Science of Hearing Loss” - from a general point of view.
List of Blogs - Hearing Loss:
April 13, 2025: Age-Related Hearing Loss: What Happens in the Ear as We Age
April 20, 2025: The Silent Threat: Why Treating Hearing Loss Matters for Healthy Aging