It remains a mystery as to why wearing eye glasses—which correct vision impairment—is perceived as an indication of intelligence, while wearing hearing aids—which treat hearing impairment—has been perceived as a sign of old age.
Maybe it’s about time the stigma of hearing loss is corrected, and we redefine what it means for our bodies to collaborate with technology.
The question is, when you see someone wearing a pair of hearing aids, what do you think?
Here are 6 of the favorable things we think wearing hearing aids says about you.
1. You prefer living an active life
Most social gatherings and activities demand healthy hearing, while hanging out by yourself at home does not. Wearing hearing aids is therefore a signal that you like to be active and social, and that you’re not going to let hearing loss stop you from pursuing your favorite experiences.
2. You’re an proactive, open-minded problem solver
When you’re confronted with difficult problems or obstacles, you find ways to defeat them. You don’t wait around feeling sorry for yourself or assert a stubborn denial of the problem—you’re open-minded enough to admit to your hearing loss and practical enough to correct it.
3. You’re tech-savvy
Today’s digital hearing aids are like tiny computers, equipped with amazing features like wireless connectivity, bluetooth streaming, directional microphones, and background noise reduction.
By sporting a pair of modern hearing aids, it demonstrates that you are on the leading-edge of technology, eager to experience the rewards that new technology has to offer.
4. You’re health conscious
Several new studies, especially from Jonhs Hopkins University, have attributed hearing loss to major medical conditions including depression, general cognitive decline, memory problems, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Wearing hearing aids indicates that you appreciate living an all-around healthy lifestyle, proactively taking the steps required for an extended, healthy life—physically, mentally, and emotionally.
5. You treasure your relationships
You know that the groundwork for any healthy relationship is strong communication, and you’re not going to let hearing loss erect a barrier between you and those you love.
Your relationships are just too important to allow hearing loss to produce occasions of miscommunication, misunderstanding, and the stress of others always needing to repeat themselves.
6. You’re self-confident
You’re not attempting to hide the reality that you wear hearing aids—you’re proud of it. You love to live an active, social life and you’re proud that you’ve taken the actions to secure your own quality lifestyle.
In fact, many hearing aid users have reported better performance at work, and research by the Better Hearing Institute shows that hearing aid users reported higher household income than those with untreated hearing loss.
What do hearing aids say about you?
What did we leave out? What would you add to the list?
There are many reasons to wear hearing aids with pride: Tell us in a comment some of the reasons you wear hearing aids so we can keep the list going.