One thing we hear frequently from our customers is that living with hearing loss can sometimes feel like living with an alter ego. And if you experience any type of hearing loss, chances are you’ve picked up your own alter ego along the way. Any of these ring a bell?

The Pretender: You nod your head and smile no matter what, because you can’t understand what’s being said. Let’s hope you’re never accused of a crime! But hey, you might get a reduced sentence for being such an agreeable defendant.

Illustration of "The Pretender" alter ego, a common behavior when living with hearing loss

The Leaner: You catch yourself leaning forward to hear the conversation, even at the risk of toppling headfirst toward the speaker. People probably call you the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Or “that one person who prefers literally falling over to dealing with their hearing loss.”

Illustration of "The Leaner" alter ego, a common behavior when living with hearing loss

The Accuser: You think everyone has started mumbling when speaking to you. And it’s not just your friends and family. Even people on the TV and radio are mumbling in your presence. How they all found the time to get together to plan this elaborate conspiracy, you’ll never know.

Illustration of "The Accuser" alter ego, a common behavior when living with hearing loss

The Repeater: You frequently ask people, “what?” or “say that again?” As a matter of fact, you ask these two questions so often that your friends are thinking of having custom T-shirts made for you that say, “Sorry, could you repeat that?” Unsurprisingly, this alter ego goes hand-in-hand with The Pretender. When all else fails, smile and nod.

Illustration of "The Repeater" alter ego, a common behavior when living with hearing loss

The Human Hearing Aid: Who needs a hearing aid when you have someone there to repeat everything being said? Sure, it’s getting harder to find a willing participant, but once you find one, you’re golden. After all, it works like a charm for you and it’s such fun for them!

Illustration of "The Human Hearing Aid" alter ego, a common behavior when living with hearing loss

The Shuffler: You move around a table or group of people to best position yourself to hear a conversation. And hey, if you find yourself plopped down in the middle of the table, so be it. You make an excellent centerpiece, if you do say so yourself.

Illustration of "The Shuffler" alter ego, a common behavior when living with hearing loss

Do any of these six characters sound familiar?

If your answer is yes and you want to ditch that Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde vibe you’ve got going on, we can help with that. Eargo hearing aids may help ensure you don't ask, “What was that?” again. And even if you don’t have one of these alter egos in your life yet, preventing hearing loss can help keep them at bay. That means you have to be proactive in your approach to hearing health. After all, you take your vitamins. You go to the gym. You take care of your body. Why should your hearing be any different?

The Eargo team is always happy to help discuss the best options for your hearing loss, lifestyle, and budget.

And we have a feeling you’ll love Eargos. They’re the virtually invisible, easy-to-try, easy-to-use hearing aid. Don’t just take our word for it - watch this real life story about James’ experience with hearing loss and how Eargo helped them, or read more from our customers here.