Over-the-ear headphones are required for SSP Core as they provide an immersive auditory experience for the listener.
Because the vagus nerve has a sensory branch to the external ear, over-the-ear headphones maximize the input to the vagus nerve by covering the whole ear, which maximizes the potential to improve parasympathetic function. Over-the-ear headphones also avoid extra sensory input to the skin of the external ear canal, which may interfere with experiencing pure sound on its own.
Not using the appropriate headphones can minimize the benefits of the program.
On-the-ear headphones and earbuds are not recommended because they often have built-in adjustments to various sound frequencies. Earbuds only bring input to the external auditory canal and eardrum.
Noise-canceling headphones and bass-boosting headphones are NOT recommended unless features such as noise-cancellation or bass-boosting can be turned off. In addition, noise-canceling headphones are not recommended as they emit a low-frequency sound that disrupts the mid-frequency sounds of background noise. These same mid-frequency sounds are critical to the efficacy of the SSP delivery. In addition, noise-canceling headphones create an isolating experience that could be felt as unsafe for some listeners.
Bluetooth headphones are approved as long as the distance between the headphones and the device is kept to a minimum, so as to not lose connection and disrupt the music.
If you do not have the appropriate headphones and are approved for remote access, we have headphones available to rent for the duration of your program.