Do you close your eyes to concentrate on a specific faint sound? Most people do, say Chinese researchers, writing the journal of the Acoustical Society of America. The idea of closing our eyes frees up our brain’s processing abilities to process sounds may be flawed. Volunteers were subjected to a collection of sounds through headphones with their eyes open and closed. Contrary to popular opinion, closing our eyes actually impairs the ability to detect targeted sounds. Authors say, conversely, seeing a video that corresponds to the sound significantly improves hearing sensitivity. The results are best demonstrated in noisy environments where the eyes may help the brain isolate the targeted sound.