Stress across timescales: differential effects of acute and chronic stress on auditory processing and perception

Stress has long been linked to auditory dysfunction and altered sound perception, but its effects are often discussed without fully distinguishing between acute and chronic stress timescales. Here, we integrate evidence that acute and chronic stress engage partly overlapping but temporally distinct mechanisms and produce different auditory outcomes....

No actionable change for immediate clinical practice; however, audiologists should be aware that chronic stress may independently degrade auditory processing, which could be relevant when interpreting speech-in-noise difficulties in stressed or anxious patients.

Clarifying the mechanistically distinct effects of acute versus chronic stress on auditory processing could reshape how audiologists interpret unexplained auditory complaints and guide future research into stress-related hearing difficulties.

1. 01Review distinguishes between acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) stress effects on auditory processing and sound perception.
2. 02Published in Hearing Research, a leading peer-reviewed audiology journal.
3. 03Prior literature is critiqued for conflating acute and chronic stress, potentially obscuring distinct mechanisms.
4. 04Chronic stress may have more persistent, detrimental effects on central auditory processing than acute stress.
5. 05Findings are relevant to understanding functional hearing difficulties in patients with anxiety disorders or high-stress lifestyles.

PMID

42217483

DOI

10.1016/j.heares.2026.109684.

Journal

Hearing Research

Publication type

review

Evidence level

5

Population

Literature review; no primary patient population

Intervention

Acute and chronic psychological stress