Ew! Here’s The Reason You Should NEVER Share Your Earphones

Like pens and staplers, earphones are one of those things that most of us don’t think twice about handing over to our colleagues.

But next time your work BFF asks to borrow your headphones to watch that adorable video of a baby goat wearing pyjamas (ahem), you might want to reconsider your generosity.

Speaking to Buzzfeed this week, hearing expert Kelly Reynolds from the University of Arizona revealed that we should be as wary of earphone-sharing as we are of handing over our eyeliner or toothbrush to others.

While our ear wax does a lot of the hard work in protecting us from infection, our ears are used to a “particular bacterial flora” which is unique to us and should not be altered by outside factors – like other people’s ear wax.

“If the bacterial count becomes too high and passes your body’s ‘threshold,’ or new bacteria enters your ear, it can cause an ear infection,” Kelly warns.

“If wax coats or builds up on your earbuds, it can act as a layer to trap bacteria and prevent it from drying out so it can survive and grow.”

So, there you go. Hand over your stapler, hand over your favourite pen if you must, but hold on to those earphones.

• ear health
• earphones
• headphones