>like walking down sidewalks next to traffic Traffic noise is usually much more intermittent, unless you're walking next to a busy freeway. You just hear cars

>like walking down sidewalks next to traffic Traffic noise is usually much more intermittent, unless you're walking next to a busy freeway. You just hear cars as they go by, but it's not usually a constant. Ears handle intermittent sounds much better than constant noise, even when the intermittent sounds are much louder. It's a lot like radiation exposure: it's cumulative. >A noisier commercial airliner, all else being equal, simply is more comfortable than a quiet one. Honestly, you sound like someone who already has a lot of hearing damage.