This Valentine’s Day, Do Something Really Audacious

On February 14th, go ahead and do something really audacious with your sweetheart. Get a hearing test. Sure, getting a hearing test with your honey may not sound all that romantic. But think again.

Here’s what the research shows:

• We know that unaddressed hearing loss can have a negative effect on many aspects of a person’s life. But when people address their hearing loss, their quality of life almost always goes up. Most say they benefit a great deal from using hearing aids.
• People with hearing difficulty who use hearing aids are less likely to feel down or depressed—and they’re more likely to feel engaged in life, optimistic, and get pleasure in doing things. Now that’s pretty good for all concerned, because when the one we love is happier, we tend to be happier too.
• Most people with hearing difficulty say using hearing aids helps them hear better overall, across all listening situations. But they’re even more likely to say they’re pleased with how their hearing aids help them hear in more intimate settings. Just imagine how happy your significant other will be when you hear all the sweet nothings they’ve been whispering to you all this time.
• At least a quarter of people who get hearing aids say the stress that their hearing difficulty was putting on a relationship was a key trigger for their decision to act. What’s more, most people wait about 5 years after first noticing they’re having trouble hearing before getting hearing aids. Wouldn’t it be so much healthier for your relationship to invest in hearing your partner better now, and avoid all that heart ache?
• Research shows that two important things give relationships a boost: Trying new things together, and responding to the other’s bids for emotional connection. Not only will getting a hearing test together be a new adventure, but it may mean that if you do get hearing aids, you’ll be more responsive to the one you love. After all, the latest technology will make it easier for you to hear them. You may even catch more of those loving compliments you’ve been missing.

The upshot?

When people with hearing difficulty use hearing aids, very often it has a positive impact on their romantic relationships. So, go ahead. Try something altogether new and audacious this Valentine’s Day. Get a hearing test. Learn how one couple celebrated their wedding anniversary by addressing hearing loss: https://ow.ly/bIGB308juCO