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Tinnitus ‘Loudness’ as Indicated by Masking Levels with Environmental Sounds

Abstract The lack of loudness of tinnitus, as first pointed out by Fowler (1942), has been an item of confused concern ever since. The point being this: How can so weak a sensation produce such severity of stress? The present article deals with this item by attempting to provide a more objective psychological measure of severity of tinnitus. The U.S. Health Survey, which estimated that one out of five patients with tinnitus have it in its severe form, is but one example of differentiating mild vs. severe tinnitus. In the severe group, there are some for whom the tinnitus is constant and unrelenting, while for others the bad spells come and go without warning or reason. Whether constant or fluctuating, these patients perceive their tinnitus as a severe affliction which greatly degrades the quality of their life. We accept these subjective statements and ratings of their distress; however, there is a serious need for an objective measure of severity. The present report attempted such a measure by using the degree to which tinnitus was maskable by environmental sounds. The results correlated no better with ratings of severity than do the measures of loudness of tinnitus.