The symphony of summer is under way: Lawn mowers droning, cicadas buzzing, kids shrieking, outdoor concerts and cracking fireworks. Summer’s delights often reach us through our ears. But protecting our hearing is often an afterthought, if we think of it at all. Here, I’m urging you to take a moment to appreciate the sounds in your life — not as the daughter of an audiologist (which I am) or as a neuroscience writer (also me), but as an everyday enthusiast of sounds.
People are quick to name a favorite color, but favorite sounds aren’t always as obvious, says audiologist Deanna Meinke of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. To prompt people to think more about their hearing, Meinke has been collecting a treasure trove of people’s favorite sounds: kids’ laughter, rain on a roof, wind in the trees, a loved one’s heartbeat. Animal sounds. Music.
