Simultaneous Cues Boost Hearing in Noisy Environments, Improving Quality of Life
A study tested how well people can detect sounds when the sound's details are uncertain. They found that adding a sound in the other ear can make it harder to detect the sound at high volumes, but easier at low volumes. The louder the added sound, the worse the detection. This suggests that the added sound can either help or hinder depending on how loud it is.