DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEARING AND LISTENING (WITH TABLE)

The ear is the one that acts as a medium that absorbs sound waves and forwards them to the brain to perceive and decipher them. Without the ear an individual cannot hear any sound. Only when we are able to hear will it

The ear is the one that acts as a medium that absorbs sound waves and forwards them to the brain to perceive and decipher them. Without the ear an individual cannot hear any sound. Only when we are able to hear will it help us communicate properly. Therefore, the ear plays a vital role in the way we communicate with the outside world. And hearing is one of the most important feelings we have.

There are two different concepts when it comes to the activity of perceiving these sound waves. One hears and the other listens. Hearing is an inherent ability of an individual to distinguish sound. It all has to do with an individual’s inherent potential to recognize sound. It may not be true to say that the individual only understood the information conveyed in the context of the hearing.

Hearing vs listening

The difference between hearing and listening is that listening deals with understanding or perceiving sound waves, which have a deep meaning. But that is not the case with the interrogation. Because we are not aware of what transmit.

Listening requires our focus and attention to understand the things we hear. An individual does not make an effort to hear, because it is an involuntary process. But it requires an effort to be heard because this is a voluntary procedure that an individual does. The brain deciphers and understands the received sound waves and an appropriate decision is made.

Comparison table between hearing and listening

What is hearing?

Hearing is an individual’s natural ability to perceive and receive sound with the help of the ear. This remains a natural process as long as the individual is not affected by hearing impairment problems. Hearing is one of the five senses that is important to every individual. The hearing is not a forced process. It appears continuously without the intervention of an individual. It happens by itself.

Therefore, the hearing may be declared inadvertent. An individual makes no effort to activate or reach a hearing state. All that is needed is our organ of the senses, that is. The ear to receive sound waves. In everyday life we ​​hear different sounds and waves of pressure. But our brain does not decipher and recognize all sound waves.

Human beings can only hear sound waves of a certain frequency. The sound range is between twenty and twenty thousand hertz (hertz is a unit of frequency). A frequency below twenty is called infrasonic, and a frequency above twenty thousand hertz belongs to the ultrasonic range. Neither ultrasound nor infrasound remain audible to the human ear.

What is listening?

Hearing acts as a passage for listening. Listening is a process in which the brain recognizes and deciphers sound waves. This only happens when we start paying attention to the sound waves we receive. Therefore, listening turns out to be a voluntary procedure. It is something we must be consciously aware of, in order to interpret sound waves.

Listening is not a continuous process. It requires attention and concentration on what we hear. Since our mind tends to be easily distracted by small things, listening can only be acquired through constant practice. It is a skill that can be learned and strengthened as we work on it. Therefore, listening can be called a voluntary procedure carried out by an individual.

There are two types of listening. One actively listens and the other passively. As the name suggests, active listening involves the active participation of the individual. The active listener not only listens but also contributes to the conversation by participating in discussions, asking questions, etc … While the passive listener does not participate in any contribution to the conversation.

The main differences between hearing and listening

1. Hearing is the primary process carried out without any intervention of the individual. But listening takes place only when an individual makes an effort to pay attention to the received sound waves.
2. The hearing may or may not play a vital role in relationship development. Although listening considers one of the important factors of a healthy connection and communication.
3. The hearing takes place throughout the day, as the individual does not require any action to maintain or continue the process. While listening is a temporary condition because it takes a lot of effort to stay undisturbed.
4. Hearing is an innate trait, while listening is a skill that can only master by continuous effort.
5. Hearing requires only one sense, while listening requires action more than meaning to understand the conversation or what the speaker is saying.
6. It is a physiological process that takes place with the help of the ear. While listening is a psychological process, which means that it takes place only when the individual is aware of his activity.

Conclusion

Listening depends on hearing because sound waves can only be understood when we receive them. The reception takes place naturally because hearing is an involuntary process. Although the hearing is a common attribute, listening is a talent mastered by only a few.

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