Scientists have discovered that the ear muscle believed to be inactive in humans, except for wiggling our ears, actually activates when people listen hard. Researchers attached electrodes to participants’ heads and asked them to listen closely to an audiobook while navigating different challenges. The results showed that the more difficult it was for participants to hear, the more their superior auricular muscles activated.
These muscles helped change the shape of the pinna, or ear shell, funneling sound to the eardrums in our ancestors’ time but became vestigial 25 million years ago. However, when scientists tested how hard someone is listening without self-reported measures, electromyography revealed activity in these auricular muscles linked to close listening.
The study involved 20 people without hearing problems and applied electrodes to their auricular muscles while playing audiobooks with varying levels of difficulty. Participants reported increased effort levels and losing the thread of the story as the task got harder. The superior auricular muscle reacted to the level of difficulty, suggesting it could be an objective measure of listening effort.
However, experts warn that more research is needed to confirm these results and develop practical applications. The study’s findings highlight the importance of investigating the effects of muscle strain on sound transmission in people with hearing impairments.
Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2025/01/31/ear-muscle-wiggling-ears-activates-listening-frontiers-neuroscience