Headphones may ease stress but cut young people off from nature

Headphones and music can help young people regulate their inner state and cope with stress, but frequent use may also contribute to hearing loss and disconnect them from their natural surroundings, ERR reports. The warning comes from Avo-Rein Tereping, a project manager at Tallinn University’s experimental psychology laboratory.

Schools can be noisy, and both students and adults have their own ways of dealing with the resulting stress. Putting on headphones and shutting out the world has become almost habitual for many people. A recent study found that young people commonly use headphones and music to regulate their mood and their surroundings.

However, long-term exposure to loud music through headphones can cause hearing loss. The World Health Organization has also drawn attention to the risk, while studies have found a direct link between frequent headphone use and hearing loss.

Another Tallinn University study found that more than 20 percent of ninth-grade students often use headphones on their way to school. Many also wear them while spending time in nature, including during a healthy forest run. This shuts them off not only from stressful or irritating stimuli, but also from the natural environment.

Observing the natural environment allows attention to shift spontaneously and thoughts to wander, helping attention and self-regulation recover. Children and adolescents benefit when some of their daily activities take place without constant media input.

Tereping recommends using headphones in moderation and allowing time to hear natural and incidental sounds, as well as silence. Letting attention wander through an environment where events and sounds are random can help relieve stress more effectively than listening to music dictated by headphones.