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Study: Closing Eyes Hinders Hearing in Noisy Environments

3/21/2026

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Summary

Story summary

A study from Shanghai Jiao Tong University challenges the belief that closing eyes enhances hearing in noisy environments.
When participants closed their eyes, they struggled to detect faint sounds because this triggered neural criticality that over-filtered auditory signals.
Keeping eyes open, especially with dynamic visuals, significantly improves sound detection by helping the brain separate target sounds from background noise.

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Story summary

A study from Shanghai Jiao Tong University challenges the belief that closing eyes enhances hearing in noisy environments.
When participants closed their eyes, they struggled to detect faint sounds because this triggered neural criticality that over-filtered auditory signals.
Keeping eyes open, especially with dynamic visuals, significantly improves sound detection by helping the brain separate target sounds from background noise.