Effects of leisure activities on the auditory perception

摘要

The human hearing allow us to communicate with other people. It is a guide in our environment. Some people don't stand it to be for two or three minutes in an anechoic chamber, where there is not any type of acoustic information about the dimensions of the room. The human hearing allows us to know how large is a noise source, and wich are the dimensions of the room. The hearing is also used to listen to music. Young people usually go to discotheques, where music is played back with high pressure level. Newer technologies allow to use portable sound players with high levels achieved in the headphones also. These aggressions to the ear can originate disturbances in our hearing sensitivity. The presented study is a preliminary work that is being carried out among students of both sexes, aged between 18 and 30 years old. To value their auditory capacity, he/she is submitted to an audiometric test. Volunteers are asked about their acoustic habits (assiduous visits to discotheques, use of walkman or other portable players, practice of some sports, etc.). At the moment, between 15% to 18% of the interviewed people show important deficiencies. These lacks hinder them from carrying a normal life in some particular situations, like speeched communication in noisy environments. Playing music in a pop group is the most usual cause of this malfunction. Listening to music through portable players becomes important when the playback level shows high pressure level values. In some cases up to 110 dBA are reached at the headphone sets.