BENEATH THE THRESHOLD OF HEARING (Case Studies)
Published in GÉP 2026/1
https://doi.org/10.70750/GEP.2026.1.4
Dr. Bihari Zoltán
egyetemi docens, Miskolci Egyetem Gép- és Terméktervezési Intézet
ABSTRACT
Among the human senses, hearing occupies a special role, as it provides continuous, direction-independent information about our environment, even when we cannot see. While we can close our eyes, we cannot ‘switch off’ our sense of hearing. Through sounds, we not only orient ourselves but also communicate, making hearing one of our most important connections to the outside world.
However, this constant ‘always-on’ state is not always an advantage: some individuals have significantly more sensitive hearing than average, so that sounds imperceptible to others become a continuous and disturbing presence. In such cases, hearing is no longer a benefit but a burden on everyday life: what is part of silence for others appears to them as constant, unavoidable noise, and the gift of perception gradually turns into an unsettling compulsion. This article presents a few such cases.
