--- description: Researchers call it "inattentional deafness" title: There's a Scientific Reason Why You're Ignoring People, Study Says image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb5cf10971b29cb9a/6988749a3c16392caf45b1bf/deaf-video-games.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # There's a Scientific Reason Why You're Ignoring People, Study Says ## Video: A Prosthetic Hand That Can Feel [Watch (HLS stream): A Prosthetic Hand That Can Feel](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oRQrOoA9.m3u8) (5:02)  _Published 2015-11-11. Igor Spetic, 49, lost his right hand in a work related accident five years ago. But on Oct. 9, he got to bring home an innovative prosthetic hand for the first time, one that not only has more precise gripping, but gives him back his sense of touch._ by [Tara John](/author/tara-john/) ## Tara John Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 9, 2015 3:39 PM CUT  Teenager playing video games at home Teenager playing video games at homeGetty Images by [Tara John](/author/tara-john/) ## Tara John Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 9, 2015 3:39 PM CUT A person can become temporarily deaf to environmental sounds when engaged in a visual task, according to [new research.](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/12040202/Why-children-who-ignore-their-parents-while-playing-video-games-have-an-excuse.html "undefined") The very small study, published in the _Journal of Neuroscience_ and led by a group of experts at the University College of London, call this deficit “inattentional deafness,” the _Telegraph_ reports. According to the researchers, a person’s sense of vision and hearing are located in a shared region of the brain. Due to a limitation in processing capacity, the brain fails to multi-task and is forced to choose between the two senses. “For example, if you try to talk to someone who is focusing on a book, game or television programme and don’t receive a response, they aren’t necessarily ignoring you, they might simply not hear you” Professor Nilli Lavie, who co-authored the study, told the _Telegraph_. She says that ‘inattentional deafness’ can be dangerous for drivers and cyclists following complex directions. “This has more serious implications in situations such as the operating theatre, where a surgeon concentrating on their work might not hear the equipment beeping” added Lavie. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4142609/concentrating-on-visual-tasks-can-make-you-temporarily-deaf-study-says/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4142609/concentrating-on-visual-tasks-can-make-you-temporarily-deaf-study-says/"},"headline":"There's a Scientific Reason Why You're Ignoring People, Study Says","datePublished":"2015-12-09T15:39:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:13:45.703Z","description":"It's not your fault you didn't hear your partner while watching TV","url":"https://time.com/4142609/concentrating-on-visual-tasks-can-make-you-temporarily-deaf-study-says/","keywords":["Biology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb5cf10971b29cb9a/6988749a3c16392caf45b1bf/deaf-video-games.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tara John","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tara-john/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb5cf10971b29cb9a/6988749a3c16392caf45b1bf/deaf-video-games.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A teenager plays video games at home","caption":"A teenager plays video games at home","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4142609/concentrating-on-visual-tasks-can-make-you-temporarily-deaf-study-says/","name":"There's a Scientific Reason Why You're Ignoring People, Study Says"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"A Prosthetic Hand That Can Feel","description":"Igor Spetic, 49, lost his right hand in a work related accident five years ago. 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