A new study has found that people who have good or better-than-average hearing could be more likely to encounter mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

According to research carried out by University College London in collaboration with Durham University, those with a greater ability to make out conversations in crowded rooms or from far away are more likely to ‘hear voices in their heads’ – a symptom commonly associated with various mental health conditions.

The study found that those with superior hearing typically have a 75 per cent chance of being able to ‘make meaning’ out of half-heard sounds and garbled noises than those with average hearing ability.

As part of the study, which was recently published in the scientific journal Brain, researchers gathered volunteers who regularly experience internal imaginary sounds and ‘voices in the head’ and compared these with subjects who had no history of aural hallucinations.

The group of 34 were asked to listen out for sine-waves or “alien-like” noises and attempt to pick out audible words – and those with a history of mental health issues were found to be significantly more likely to find meaning in the noises heard.

Meanwhile, MRI scans also revealed that such people were much quicker at discerning meaning from the sine noises.

Researchers have said they hope the study will go a long way to improve understanding of mental health conditions in the near future – potentially paving the way for research into new treatments.