Impressions of Young Persons Wearing Hearing Aids and Eye Glasses

Abstract

<p>First impressions are formed quickly, within milliseconds of exposure. Eye glasses are quite common, yet they still affect how we perceive the faces of the people wearing them. While less common, a diagnosis requiring the use of a hearing aid is different than glasses because (1) acclimation to hearing aid input routinely requires adjustments to amplification, which may take months, and (2) stigma is an important underlying factor in the denial of hearing loss, resulting in refusal to wear a hearing aid for fear that it is perceived as a sign of disability. This survey of college students found that glasses and hearing aids do affect the impression one makes on others.</p>