The weird way looking at your phone can mess with your hearing

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Do you ever get accused of “not listening” because you’re glancing down at your phone? Here is a study that suggests it’s not your fault (sort of).

Research published in the Journal of Neuroscience has revealed that concentrating on a visual task (say, scrolling through your Instagram feed) may render you temporarily deaf to normal-volume sounds (like your friend’s story about … what was she talking about again?)

For the small study, researchers from the University College London analyzed the real-time brain activity of 13 volunteers as they completed visual tasks while sounds played in the background. As the tasks got harder, the brain’s response to sound was reduced.