How Hearing Loss and Age Affect Emotional Responses to Nonspeech Sounds

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of hearing loss and age on subjective ratings of emotional valence and arousal in response to nonspeech sounds.

Three groups of adults participated: 20 younger listeners with normal hearing (M = 24.8 years), 20 older listeners with normal hearing (M = 55.8 years), and 20 older listeners with mild-to-severe acquired hearing loss (M = 65.6 years). Stimuli were presented via headphones at either 35 and 65 dB SPL or 50 and 80 dB SPL on the basis of random assignment within each group. Participants rated the emotional valence and arousal for previously normed nonspeech auditory stimuli.

Linear mixed model analyses were conducted separately for ratings of valence and arousal. Results revealed that listeners with hearing loss exhibited a reduced range of emotional ratings. Furthermore, for stimuli presented at 80 dB SPL, valence ratings from listeners with hearing loss were significantly lower than ratings from listeners with normal hearing.

Acquired hearing loss, not increased age, affected emotional responses by reducing the range of subjective ratings and by reducing the reported valence of the highest intensity stimuli. These results have potentially important clinical implications for aural rehabilitation.