Why don’t we have the ability to “close” our ears, just like our eyes?
In: Biology
We kind of do actually. There are at least two reflex arcs in our inner ear that desensitize our hearing (kind of like how we kick out our leg when the knee tendon is struck with a small hammer):
The first is the **cochlear reflex AKA the acoustic reflex**. [This reflex arc triggers in response to loud sound](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_reflex). The stapedius muscle contracts, stiffening the tiny bones in our ears that mechanically conduct sound from the eardrum and making sounds less intense to prevent damage to our hearing.
The **tensor tympani** [does a similar thing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensor_tympani_muscle), IIRC you can even activate it manually when you cringe or scrunch up your face, which is why you instinctively do that when you hear a very loud noise.
A reflex in the **inner ear cells of the basilar membrane** in the cochlea also helps [control the sensitivity of the basilar membrane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilar_membrane), preventing damage to the hair cells that transform mechanical sound waves to neural impulses.
Latest Answers