An Analysis of The Factors Affecting Hearing Loss Using Molly Crain's Study

Argument Analysis

This argument analysis takes a look at the article, Are you damaging your hearing without realizing it? (Crain, 2015). The article is about the controversy of headphones causing damage to people’s ears without many people even realizing it. Author Molly Crain provides evidence and examples of statistical studies that show that overexposure of listening to loud noises for an extended period of time can cause Noise Induced Hearing Loss at any age. It mainly answers questions such as, “How can I tell if I am losing my hearing,” or “How can I stop hearing loss from getting worse?” The analysis answers questions through the work of expert evidence and examples of when and where people can experience hearing loss without even knowing it. Her article brings up an important issue and she is able to explain the issue and provide ways on how to solve it. Crain addresses four main assumptions related to hearing loss through evidence until those assumptions are made fully.

Firstly, Crain claims that hearing loss starts gradually until overtime over exposure to sound causes hearing loss. Crain states that, “Hearing loss is often not a dramatic event, but something that gather inexorably over time. Some experts believe it’s some very modern behavior – such as our increasing use of earphones to listen to music and movies – that may help prematurely age our hearing. And it is an issue that may be affecting younger adults much more than before.” Crain backs up her claim by providing a quote related to her claim from Jill Greunwald, an individual who gives hearing loss awareness at Vanderbilt’s School of Music. Greunwald is quoted stating, “Sometimes the noise exposure in your younger ears, it’s not until it starts coupling with age that it starts snowballing faster. So it might be that, you got just a little bit of hearing loss and a little bit of damage now and it’s not until your later years that it’s really going to become a problem.” Through a quote provided by an expert on hearing loss, Crain is able to make readers believe what she is writing. She selects a great source and also provides background information on it.

For Crain to formulate her arguments, she acknowledges many different popular opinions on hearing loss. Crain writes, “US workplace safety bodies the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Occupational Safety and Health Association set the standard sound exposure limit at 85 decibels. Headphones on music players can reach sound levels as high as 120 decibels.” Her evidence forces readers to realize that if they are listening to music at a higher decibel amount than what the experts suggest, that they could be victims of hearing loss. When she mentions the standard decibel amount, she is providing relevant information which makes her writing matter that much more. When Crain brings up other objects that could cause hearing loss such as, power tools, jet skis, or guns, her assumption that everyday activities or objects also can cause hearing loss, not just headphones. She reaches out to a larger audience when she mentions the way other forms of technology can cause hearing loss. It is one thing for people to lose interest into Crain’s article if it were just about the risks of headphones causing hearing loss, but readers grow more concern when they find out that a variety of every day occurrences can damage an individuals hearing.

The article then goes on to answer questions such as, “Why should I be concerned about my hearing? What noises could put me at risk during leisure activities?” And “How can I tell if my hearing is going?” Before answering those questions she acknowledges that headphones have become a way of life for many people and to moderate headphone use could be challenging. After acknowledging the that some people may consider putting down headphones a bit absurd, she goes on to answer her questions. When answering the question of, “What noises could put me at risk during leisure activities?,” Crain provides an opinion that music is something that many people listen to for long periods of time whether it be commuting to work or spending time in the gym. She then addresses her opinion with evidence when she writes, “Many people experience temporary threshold shifts, where hearing is muffled for a few days after a loud concert or clubbing, but then returns. A chemical process our ear does to protect itself, sound appears to lose resolution as tiny hairs within your inner ear become fatigued. To recover, go to a quiet place until your hearing remains sensitivity and avoid causing more temporary threshold shifts in the future.” Through her writing, Crain addresses events that have chance to cause hearing loss, what happens to your ears at those events and how to help your ears recover from whatever damage they may have received at those events. By relating her article to real life instances, explaining what happens to your ears during those instances and providing an explanation of how to prevent hearing loss, Crain earns the trust of her readers.

Perhaps the most crucial section of Crain’s article is the section about when and why hearing loss starts to effect humans. Crain writes, “If you’re overexposed to loud noises when you’re younger, it’s common to have more severe hearing loss when you’re older. A video posted by AsapScience on YouTube in 2013 asks ‘How old are your ears?’ Trouble is, you may not like the results. Your ears may be 20 years older than you are. If you’re worried about the quality of your hearing there are free hearing test applications you can take yourself as a preliminary step to seeing an audiologist.” Crain provides a hyperlink for the readers of her article that if clicked upon would bring them to a video of a doctor explaining the effects of headphones on people’s ears which makes her article that much more credible. She then writes, “For those who do experience mild hearing loss, technological advancements like Soundhawk allow you to hone in on certain voices in crowded spaces – like bars and restaurants – using only two earpieces and lapel microphones. Invented by former ear surgeon, Rodney Perkins, Soundhawk operates via Bluetooth and sound levels can be adjusted by downloading the Soundhawk app.” By providing resources for people concerned with hearing loss, her readers feel as if Crain did not write the article solely because it is her job, but because she cares about her readers.

Crain’s article revolves around the ways new technology such as headphones and loud outdoor speakers are causing hearing loss at an alarming rate. Through quotes from experts and undoubtable facts about hearing loss, Crain is able to make a strong argument about the ways headphones and other objects are causing hearing loss earlier in life than if people did not have their ears effected by those objects. Crain makes an interesting argument and her audience comes from many people. Since so many people use headphones in this day and age, their willingness to read and pay attention to Crain’s article could certainly benefit them. After an individual is done reading the article, he or she can hopefully realize that Crain didn’t write the article for herself. She wrote the article to inform the general public about hearing loss and did so for the well-being of her readers.