Just as everyone has predicted, the trend for “having something in your ear” seems to have ended the so called “stigma” of hearing aids. An elegant study by researcher Catherine Palmer, and a student Erik Rauterkus, in Pittsburg and reported in scientific journal Journal of the American Academy of Audiology recently, compared peoples judgements of people using hearing aids. This is a very neat study, that has “judgers” rating a series of pictures of College students, using a range of different acoustic devices from behind.
The College students using earbuds were judged as younger; the models wearing a standard Behind the Ear Hearing Aid, with Earmold, were judged as More Trustworthy than students (modeks) using a Bluetooth Headset. No hearing aid was rated as less friendly than no hearing aid, earbuds, or Bluetooth headsets.
What a turn around. So, now we have to deal with the stigma of not using hearing aids!
So don’t use the excuse that there’s a stigma anymore, because this study says there isn’t – and don’t pay more for one that’s hidden, because this study implies that no one else cares.
