The left ear is slightly better for music, which may explain why the majority of people process music more efficiently through their left side. But the right ear has an advantage when it comes to auditory and noise processing and is in charge of dominant tasks such as language and reasoning.
Many people debate this subject and assume that the left ear is better for music. The idea that the left side of our body is more intelligent comes from the fact that most aspects of our brain are represented on one side (the other side) of our bodies.
For example, reasoning is found in the left hemisphere in most people. And the right brain hemisphere is where creativity lies with the centers for emotion, music, visual-spatial skills, body-image, dreams, and awareness.
If you look at the percentage of right-handed people versus those who are left-handed, it is about 90% to 10%, which means that most humans experience life from a single point of view, right or left. Which ear is better for music may relate to how we process and interpret sounds and music.
Contents
Left-Ear Advantages in Music
The left ear is the dominant side when it comes to hearing. It has most of the responsibility for both rhythm and melody in music. It handles the tone of the music as well. The left ear also can distinguish pitch, timbre, and loudness better than the right.
As the nervous system is entirely crossed over, people use their left ear better for hearing music because the right side of the brain is responsible for processing music.
Right-Ear Advantages in Music
The right ear/left hemisphere combination processes more complex analytical tasks, which means that it’s better at processing words and other related tasks. This may explain why people often process music better with their left ear.
The left side of the brain is where language processing, including speech, is located. That is why the right ear has an advantage over the left when it comes to speech and is often more dominant.
How to hear better?
There are many things you can do to improve your ability to hear. One is to make sure that your ear canals are clear and clean. You can also try wearing earplugs in noisy environments to reduce the amount of noise that gets into your ears.
If you want to find out how you can try to improve your hearing check out these five tips for better hearing.
Are earphones harmful to ears?
You should know that earphones and headphones are not necessarily harmful to your ears. The volume levels at which you listen to music or watch a movie using these devices can be dangerous for your ears.
Listening to any type of sound at high decibels for an extended period can be harmful, no matter which ear you use.
Aging is the most common cause of permanent hearing loss. As we age, our ear’s hair cells can become damaged or die due to factors like loud noises, smoking, and wear and tear. If you spend a lot of time around loud noises at work, go to concerts frequently or blast music through your headphones, it could also speed up the aging process of your hearing loss.
Noise-induced hearing loss
Nowadays, we are surrounded by sounds that can damage our hearing. Loud noises can cause irreversible damage to ear hairs or neurons that send signals to the brain, resulting in permanent hearing loss if not treated. If you work in a loud environment, wear earplugs or muffs that can protect your ears from loud noises. You should also avoid using headphones at high volumes.
Earwax
Earwax is your body’s way of keeping everything clean inside the ear canal, which is an important part of healthy hearing. However, too much wax can cause noises in your ears and make it difficult for you to understand people.
Conclusion
When it comes to music, the left ear tends to have more responsibilities, including rhythm and melody. The right ear works well with language processing as well as better understanding speech.
If you want to improve your ability to distinguish between different pitches, then practice singing or playing a musical instrument with the left ear. If you want to improve your ability to process the tone of the music, then listen to music with the right ear.
