Study could help create better hearing aids and more accessible public spaces

Scientists have found that people remain engaged with stories even in noisy environments—a discovery that could pave the way for more effective hearing aids and better designed public spaces. Psychologist Dr. Aysha Motala of the University of Stiring's Faculty of Natural Sciences was co-first author on a new study published in eNeuro that used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans of participants' brains to examine how brain activity changes when listening to engaging stories in background chatter.