Seeing the Sound: Visual Cues Sharpen Hearing in Noise

A Shanghai Jiao Tong University study shows that closing the eyes actually impairs detecting sounds in noisy settings, while watching a related video improves auditory detection by about 3 dB. EEG data suggest eye closure triggers inward focus and overfiltering of sounds, whereas visual input helps anchor the auditory system to the external world, with implications for hearing aids and real-life listening.