Ormskirk residents are encouraged to protect their hearing on World Hearing Day

A lady listening to music.

Submitted by Charlotte Hitchins

This World Hearing Day Specsavers Ormskirk and the British Association for Music Therapy have teamed up to encourage people to take steps to protect their hearing. so they can continue to be transported back to these happy moments in their life.

Nearly half of people (48%) in the North West say sounds can help to trigger happy memories[1], Specsavers reveals, with four in five people saying that music can uplift their mood unexpectedly[2].

Despite this, our hearing is something most people often take for granted[3].

Research shows just how important sound is for our memory and emotional wellbeing. 70% of people in the North West say that their favourite song can take them back to key moments and 77% of people say music has the ability to change their mood unexpectedly. 79% also say that they believe music is one of the most powerful ways to evoke emotion[4].

In fact, three in 20 (15%) say sounds trigger happy memories for them every day, with 7 in 20 (37%) saying this happens a couple of times a week.

Out of all the senses, sound is the one that is most able to trigger happy memories (33%) followed by smell (22%) and sight (20%). 77% of people say that as they grow older they treasure happy memories more, which is why it is so important we do all we can to look after our hearing[5].

Clare Maddocks, from the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT), says: ‘As a music therapist, I am trained in how to use sounds and music in a variety of ways to help support clients to communicate, express themselves emotionally as well as use music to help build social, physical or relational skills.

‘Music is a powerful therapy tool and it has a particularly strong impact on our brains. When we listen to music, we use multiple regions of the brain, which is unique compared to other day-to-day tasks. This includes the parts of the brain associated with emotional reaction, communication and memory.

‘If we listen to the same piece of music over and over, our brain builds up a cognitive schema in which our emotional response to the song and an autobiographical memory are assigned. It’s that experience of hearing a song on the radio that you haven’t heard in years and it instantly reminds you of a time long ago – perhaps an old teenage memory, or a specific important event such as a wedding or funeral.

‘This phenomenon reaches us even when words cannot, such as when we struggle to express ourselves verbally due to an emotional reaction or perhaps even a physical condition such as dementia.

‘Protecting your hearing is important not just for day-to-day communication, but also to help preserve the ability to connect with others and our memories in music.’

Catherine Kimball, audiologist at Specsavers Ormskirk, adds: ‘64% of people in the North West said losing their hearing would impact their mental health[6], combining that with the relationship between sound and memory and the link between hearing loss and dementia[7], it is so important we do all we can to protect and preserve our hearing.

‘We can do this through having regular hearing checks, making sure we don’t listen to music or the TV too loudly and ensuring we wear hearing protection when we’re going to be surrounded by loud noises.’

[1] Survey of 2000 people carried out by OnePoll on behalf of Specsavers in August 2021
[2] Survey of 2000 people carried out by OnePoll on behalf of Specsavers in November 2021
[3] Survey of 2000 people carried out by OnePoll on behalf of Specsavers in August 2021
[4] Survey of 2000 people carried out by OnePoll on behalf of Specsavers in November 2021
[5] Survey of 2000 people carried out by OnePoll on behalf of Specsavers in August 2021
[6] Survey of 2000 people carried out by OnePoll on behalf of Specsavers in August 2021
[7] https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/9/e039601

Get all the latest news, updates, things to do and more from Ormskirk, Lancashire's dedicated InYourArea feed.