How old are your ears? This hearing test will help you find out

I haven’t taken a formal hearing test since elementary school, but I like to think that I have pretty good hearing. I rarely wear headphones and I clean my ears regularly. And I only occasionally blast music from the stereo. (I’m sorry, Drake is just not the same at low volumes.) Unfortunately, as we get older, hearing ability fades.

According to ASAP Science, your inner ear isn’t able to regenerate like your skin. As you age, continued exposure to loud noises damages and destroys the cells that enable you hear different frequencies. And the highest frequencies are usually the first to go. A thorough hearing test conducted by a trained audiologist is easy and painless. But this video is fun and might be an indicator as to whether you should get your hearing checked. It starts by playing frequencies that can be heard at any age and transitions into others you might only be able to hear if you’re under 20 years old (or have freakishly good hearing).



Pretty wild, huh? Under perfect conditions, the human audio spectrum ranges from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. You can listen to the full range of human hearing to find out what you can and cannot hear. In any case, it’s important to treat your ears gently. While your hearing abilities will diminish with time, there’s no upside to hastening the inevitable.

Find out if your earbuds are permanently damaging your hearing. And here’s what you should do if you think you have too much earwaxud.