This month on Only Human, we're telling stories about how different people hear the world. And we want you to be a part of it. 

First we're going to start by finding out how well you hear.

So we've partnered with an iPhone app called Mimi, which lets you test your hearing and gives you a "hearing age" (see the FAQ below). 

Once you take the test, share your results with us! 

Hearing loss actually affects more people than you think — more than 20% of people in this country. But most of us don’t get tested. Let's start a conversation about how well we hear and how it affects our day-to-day lives. 

This is the first part of our "Listen Up!" engagement series. Has anyone ever complained that you’re not listening to them? Check out the week of challenges from our listening bootcamp.  

FAQ 

1. What's a hearing age?
2. I got a hearing age older than my actual age — should I be worried?
3. What about for Android users?
4. What if I don't have a smartphone?
5. How can I share my Mimi hearing results with Only Human? 
6. If I share my results with Only Human within the Mimi app, are you going to know my identity?

What's a hearing age?

Mimi calculates your hearing age by comparing your hearing ability to survey results from dozens of audiometry studies of adult populations.

While there is some amount of hearing loss that comes just with age, scientists and clinicians are still trying to figure out when and how much. The challenge is that noise exposure is a common culprit for hearing loss, and its effect is cumulative. Genetics also play a role, determining the rate of hearing loss due to age or noise. 

A "hearing age", though, isn't something your doctor or audiologist would use, and Mimi doesn't replace an examination by a trained hearing professional. So if you are worried about your hearing, go see your local audiologist. 

I got a hearing age older than my actual age — should I be worried?

The Mimi app is a self-administered test so the accuracy of your results depends on the conditions in which you took the test: how quiet the room was and what kind of headphones or earbuds you used. For general concerns about your hearing, click here.

What about for Android users?

The Hearing Test made by e-audiologia is a free Android app and will also give you an audiogram, showing what frequencies you can hear at what sound intensity. 

What if I don't have a smartphone?

The Apple-based app Mimi can be taken on an iPad as well, but not on a laptop.

For a web-based option, the British non-profit Action on Hearing Loss has a hearing screening that tests your ability to recognize numbers spoken over white noise. The screening will tell you if you likely have any hearing loss. 

If I share my results with Only Human within the Mimi app, are you going to know my identity?

No, your hearing results remain anonymous. When you opt-in to participate in our project, the only information that can be identified are your comments about how you feel about your results, and that's solely if you provide your email address. And we hope you do so we can follow-up with you! We want to know how hearing affects you on an everyday basis and what you think now that you have a sense of your hearing ability. We will not publicly identify your comments, even if you provide your email address, unless you explicitly give us permission. 

How can I share my Mimi hearing results with Only Human? 

Within the Mimi app, after you take the quick or in-depth test, you'll get to the results page and a prompt for Only Human will pop-up.

Click, "Yes, I'll participate" and after a handful of questions, you'll get to this final screen (below) where you'll tap "Continue" to submit.