Body superstition

Ringing in the ears

Ringing in the ears: right ear means praise, left means criticism. First recorded: Roman era; Pliny records it as a sign of being discussed. That makes it around 2,000 years old — joint 15th oldest of the 45 superstitions we have dated.

Earliest record: Roman era see the history below
Written down in: 1867 Harland and Wilkinson, Lancashire

Record: John Harland and T. T. Wilkinson, Lancashire Folk-Lore (London: Frederick Warne, 1867).

Ringing in the Ears Superstition: Origin and Meaning

When it actually starts

How old is this one

First recorded Roman era; Pliny records it as a sign of being discussed

That makes it around 2,000 years old

Rank by age Joint 15th oldest of 45 dated here

Category Body

Same family as itchy palms and twitching eyes: a small unexplained sensation given social meaning. Pliny the Elder recorded the belief that ringing ears mean someone is speaking of you, and it has barely changed since.

Ringing in the ears, first recorded: Roman era

14 of the dated superstitions here were written down earlier and 18 later, while 12 share its date.

Primary source

As it was written down in 1867

Harland and Wilkinson, Lancashire, 1867

“If a person’s left ear burn, or feel hot, somebody is praising the party; if the right ear burn, then it is a sure sign that some one is speaking evil of the person.”

John Harland and T. T. Wilkinson, Lancashire Folk-Lore (London: Frederick Warne, 1867) — read the original text. The Lancashire version of 1867 is about burning ears: you are being talked about, well or badly depending on the side.

The versions people follow

What exactly is believed

Someone is talking about you

A ringing in the ears means someone is talking about you somewhere — a very old belief recorded by Pliny.

Right ear or left ear

A ringing right ear means praise and a ringing left ear means gossip, in many European versions.

Spiritual messages

Some modern spiritual traditions read ringing ears as a sign of a spiritual presence or awakening.

Guess the name

Guessing who is talking about you is meant to stop the ringing when you hit the right name.

How the bad luck is traditionally undone

Biting your little finger or tugging your earlobe is said to make the gossiper bite their tongue.

Where it lives today

Persistent ringing in the ears is tinnitus, which affects many adults and is worth checking with a doctor, especially after loud noise.

What people say

Right ear means praise, left means criticism.

What is going on

Tinnitus, affecting roughly 15% of adults, most often from noise exposure. Persistent ringing in one ear only is a medical sign, not a social one.

Where it applies. Europe, the Americas and much of Asia, with the sides sometimes reversed.

Other body superstitions

Itchy palm Itchy left palm Itchy right palm Eye twitching Sneezing omens Left hand superstitions Right hand superstitions Pregnancy superstitions Hiccups superstitions

Nearest in age

Ringing in the ears is joint 15th oldest of the 45 dated superstitions here. Of those, 3 date from 1900 or later and 14 predate the common era.

Owls as omens Roman era Moon superstitions Roman era Left hand superstitions Roman era Right hand superstitions Roman era

First-recorded dates are the earliest documented appearance in written sources, not the earliest possible origin — an unrecorded practice can be older. How the dating works and where it is uncertain →

Sources

John Harland and T. T. Wilkinson, Lancashire Folk-Lore (London: Frederick Warne, 1867)

Statements of fact on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. How we choose and check sources: editorial policy.

Cite this page

AstroHot. “Ringing in the Ears Superstition: Origin and Meaning.” Accessed October 28, 2026. https://astrohot.com/superstitions/ringing-ears/

For Wikipedia

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