Courtney Starr: sophomore in graphic design, listens to his iPod on the Concourse. JD Schein / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
This day in time, it’s common to pass someone with their iPod in, blasting music so loudly that you could sing along with the song you hear.
Let’s face it, turning that volume bar up higher and higher is easy to do if you love great music.
It’s one of those things that blocks the outside world from getting in, gives us a boost while working out, and … ruins our hearing later on in life?
Numerous studies over the past few years have shown that playing loud music from an iPod too loudly for long periods of time can lead to permanent damage to the eardrum and hair cells.
It doesn’t matter whether you use headphones or the small earbuds, harm can still be done.
Sridhar Krishnamurti, the associate professor of Communications Disorders at the AU Speech and Hearing Clinic, says, “The deeper they are in the ear, the closer they are to the eardrum, so theoretically they produce a greater level of sound … The headphones look safer since they don’t go down into the ear, but that is (a fallacy), however the volume is the important thing. You can have earbuds that go deeper into your ear, and be perfectly safe if you keep the volume down to a reasonable level.”
Some students agree with the advice from the clinic.
“It doesn’t take much loudness to hear your music if you have the earbuds down in your ears like they’re designed to do,” said Ryan Jones, a senior in psychology. “Maybe some people don’t have the greatest hearing to begin with, but if it’s so loud that you can hear lyrics to someone’s music (if they’re walking around and not even close by), then it’s way too loud.”
“Noise-cancelling earbuds are a great investment,” said Caleb Hamilton, a senior in software engineering. “They aren’t more than $30, and block out all outside noise, allowing you to rock out to music you can hear without cranking up the volume very high.”
What is a sensible solution to making sure your eardrums stay protected? Meet the 60-60 Rule.
Morgan Cash: junior in apparel merchandising, listens to her iPod in between classes Wednesday. JD Schein / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
Brian Fligor, a Boston audiologist studying iPod use, developed this easy-to-remember system.
You can put the volume at 60 percent full blast, for up to 60 minutes without getting hurt.
But if it’s more than 60 percent, you need only a few minutes before you already start damaging your ears.
Ringing in the ears is the first sign you may have eardrum damage, and the next is soreness.
Statistics show college-age students listen to their iPods on an average of one hour per day.
For frequent iPod users, it’s a good idea to give ears a break here and there.
If background noise around you is already clamorous, be careful not to turn the volume past a level equivalent to it.
Getting oblivious to the outside world could prove more of a hazard in the end; one might end up in a car accident because of being so absorbed in his or her music.
“Instead of broadcasting your iPod music to others like personal radio, apply common sense out of consideration to others,” said Aaron Pierce, a freshman in architecture. “You can still enjoy those playlists and be safe at the same time.”
