Overcoming The Social Stigma Of Wearing Hearing Aids

Written By Mike Richardson / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

A social stigma is a sign of disapproval of a particular person. Human society creates a sense of shame in the minds of the people it signals out. This represents one of the cruelest sides of humanity.

The person or group affected is inevitably from a minority category. Only the brave few fight back. The rest of us try to remain as unobtrusive as possible when in the presence of the people we perceive as judging us unfairly. In this post we apply this theory to the context of hearing aid stigma.

How Hearing Aid Stigma is a Two-Way Street

If we were picked on when we were kids – and who wasn’t at some time in their lives - we learned the best way out was to ignore it so the bully didn’t get what they wanted, which is a reaction to their enticement.

We think it’s likely hard-of-hearing kids who get picked on at school with taunts like “those hearing aids look bad like you’re a nerd” or something similar.  This can so easily create a sense of shame in the mind of a child and that’s a horrible thing to do.

Some Adults We Know Still Think Hearing Aids Look Bad

One of our team members studied a bit of psychology at college and we asked them how this works. Most of us wanted to be like the prettiest girl or the handsomest boy at school, they explained. We’d search out any “defects” in the mirror and were ashamed when we inevitably discovered one

Hearing aid stigma works the same way, even if we are “mature adults.” Our social programming tells us anything that makes us different from our ideal role model is wrong, but the point is we do it to ourselves.

We Apply the Stigma of Hearing Aids to Ourselves

That’s right! People with an acceptable level of hearing don’t go around looking for hearing aid users so they can single them out and embarrass them. It’s only when we age and our hearing diminishes that we become interested in them.

If we are considering hearing aids for ourselves or a friend, we may start to notice them, but not because we think hearing aids look bad. If anything we are surprised they are so small and unobtrusive.

I Think My Friend Has This Hearing Aid Stigma

The stigma of hearing aids can play out in various ways. It’s important to understand where your friend is coming from, and not try to force your own opinions.

Are naturally vain people always fussing over their looks?

Try explaining that they won’t even notice their hearing aids in the mirror unless they deliberately focus on them. When did they last notice a person wearing hearing aids? How often does this happen?

However, we don’t suggest you try explaining how hearing aid stigma works. Instead, if they remember noticing hearings aids on people ask them, “Did those hearing aids look bad, or did they quickly fade into the background of their appearance?”

Ultimately, those who are hard of hearing or deaf are judged in ways that are not fair. We hope that as a society people can be more understanding and empathetic to the millions of people globally who wear hearing aids to better retain their hearing.

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Written By:

Mike Richardson is the vice president of marketing for Blue Angels Hearing, a company that provides affordable hearing aids delivered directly to your home.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.

Image by williamsje1 from Pixabay