Hearing care and marital harmony: Fondness and Admiration
Hearing aid wearers report improvement in relationships. Why would hearing aid wearers see happier marriages?
Happy marriages practice fondness and admiration. Fondness and admiration are an antidote to times of frustration and hurt feelings. Hearing plays a role.
Consider the following scenario.
A wife, we’ll call her, Alice, comes home from lunch out with friends. Her husband, Jay, is working on a sink clog in the kitchen. Alice shares an interaction from lunch that greatly frustrated her. Jay is already in “fix-it” mode as Alice shares her frustration. So, he does what many a husband would do when his wife shares relationship problems. He offers suggestions for fixing what went wrong in the interaction.
Alice does not have Jay’s full attention. The sink clog does. Alice’s verbal responses to Jay are sending a subtle, but very clear, message. Alice doesn’t find Jay’s responses helpful. Jay hears the tone in Alice’s voice and asks, “Do you need my help fixing this, or do you need me to hear you out?”
Alice expresses her need to just be heard.
Hearing loss makes communication a more effortful exercise. It is a state of reduced sensory awareness. If Jay cannot physically hear the nuances in Alice’s voice, he could miss an opportunity to demonstrate his fondness. This is far more likely since Jay is distracted with attending to the sink clog.
Hearing is the sense most vital for relationships. A ‘heard’ wife is a much happier wife.
Caring for your hearing can transform your life and relationships. If you or a loved one find conversation difficult, an audiologic evaluation is the best, next step. You have five senses that you experience life through. Why not experience life to the fullest? Call my office today to schedule your consultation! 208-792-6034.