Two ears hear better than one

Do you know why we have two ears?

Our two ears receive sound and then transmit these sounds to the part of our brain that processes hearing. When our ears perceive a sound, the brain determines its direction. This is possible because one ear hears the sound a split second earlier and a little bit louder than the other. This localization ability alerts us, for example, to approaching cars when we cross a street.

Another important factor is sound quality, which is much better when we hear with both ears. Speech heard with only one ear can sound flat and strange.

Hearing aids are fitted to both ears if the hearing loss occurs on both sides maximising sound quality and retaining the ability to detect which direction sounds are coming from.