The Relationship between Personality Type and Acceptable Noise Levels: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Objectives. This study examined the relationship between acceptable noise level (ANL) and personality. ANL is the difference between a person's most comfortable level for speech and the loudest level of background noise they are willing to accept while listening to speech. Design. Forty young adults with normal hearing participated. ANLs were measured and two personality tests (Big Five Inventory, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) were administered. Results. The analysis revealed a correlation between ANL and the openness and conscientious personality dimensions from the Big Five Inventory; no correlation emerged between ANL and the Myers-Briggs personality types. Conclusions. Lower ANLs are correlated with full-time hearing aid use and the openness personality dimension; higher ANLs are correlated with part-time or hearing aid nonuse and the conscientious personality dimension. Current data suggest that those more open to new experiences may accept more noise and possibly be good hearing aid candidates, while those more conscientious may accept less noise and reject hearing aids, based on their unwillingness to accept background noise. Knowing something about a person's personality type may help audiologists determine if their patients will likely be good candidates for hearing aids.

Directional Processing and Noise Reduction in Hearing Aids: Individual and Situational Influences on Preferred Setting

“…Consistent with this finding, Recker et al (2011) found that their results from a custom noise-tolerance questionnaire failed to accurately predict the ANL performance of 86 individuals with normal hearing and 53 individuals with impaired hearing. These findings seem to be at odds with those of Franklin et al (2013) who found significant relationships between some personality traits and response to noise (see Introduction). It should be recalled, however, that Franklin et al only tested young listeners with normal hearing.…”

“…Using a Big Five questionnaire, Cox et al (2007) found neuroticism, agreeableness, and extraversion to be associated with a number of self-report HA outcomes. Also using a Big Five questionnaire, Franklin et al (2013) conducted a pilot study with young normal-hearing listeners to examine potential relationships between acceptance of background noise and personality traits. Their data suggested that listeners who are more open to new experiences may accept more noise, while those who are more conscientious may accept less noise.…”

A psychoacoustical approach to resolving office noise distraction

“…It seems that people emotionally unstable are overly concerned with the source of the unwanted sound and respond to it more negatively, resulting in stress. Franklin et al (2013) examined the relationship between acceptable noise level and personality. The analysis revealed a correlation between acceptable noise and openness or conscientious personality dimensions.…”

Functional performance in older adults with hearing loss: Application of the International Classification of Functioning brief core set for hearing loss: A pilot study

“…Cox, Alexander and Gray (2006) found that extroversion individuals tend to report more HAs use and benefi t in all communication situations . Franklin et al (2013), demonstrated a strong relationship between extroversion personality, willingness to listen to speech in the presence of background noise, and willingness to wear HAs in older adults.…”