There are a significant number of people who experience an adverse sensitivity to active noise cancellation technology, also known as "eardrum suck." "Eardrum suck" describes the most common symptoma feeling of "pressure" in the ear, as if in an ascending or descending airplane.
Despite being reported by many noise-cancelling users in product reviews and media, there is little found on this phenomenon in the scientific community. In this paper, we provide an initial assessment of the prevalence of this sensitivity, look at the onset time of the symptoms, note
any associations with form factor, explore the range of symptoms felt beyond aural fullness noting their similarities to disorders of the middle ear, discuss common methods of relief and exacerbation, and consider conditions for designing an effective psychoacoustic test.
(See document for exact affiliation information.)
https://aes2.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22946
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