I think we're two peas in a pod, actually. In a club situation, I think it is the sheer volume that I have difficulty with, which as Rizla says is true for most people. However, in that situation, you can generally only hear two sounds, the sound of the music, and the sound of the person talking, so it's not difficult to pick one out from the other, it's just the volume that makes it hard to either hear, or give it due attention, due to its comparatively small impact on your ears.
But in a pub situation with music and crowd noise, there's loads of separate noises competing for your attention, and it's harder to shut out all except the one you want to hear. So there's quality and quantity issues involved I think.
I've read that women find it easier to multi-task with hearing, to watch TV, talk on the phone and talk to someone in the room all at once, for example. I know talking about inherent gender differences is controversial round these here parts, but I do get the impression women find this easier. Hence why I feel quite inept when dealing with women in these situations, because they seem to be far better at it. And when you're in a club and looking to make a good impression on a nice curvy female, it's a bugger to have that to contend with... |
