We’ve all heard the excuse, ‘Sorry, I didn’t hear you, mum’, when our kids didn’t make their bed that morning, or put their dirty laundry in the washing machine as they were told.
Well, it looks like they might have a valid excuse, after all.
According to new research, selective hearing actually does exist - and it's not just the kids who are guilty.
The study, undertaken by Specsavers Audiologists, revealed that 75 percent of Irish men admitted to not listening to some conversations.
And what is it that they're choosing not to listen to? It seems celebrity culture and fashion are two subjects that aren’t holding their attention.
The majority of you reading this are probably nodding your heads in agreement, but women are guilty of it too.
Roughly half of Irish women are opting to tune out when someone is talking about topics like sport, while one-in-three admit to ignoring discussions on finance and technology.
While selective hearing doesn’t affect our ability to hear words, it does impact the effectiveness of how we process what is being said.
