People used to be able to move their ears like animals, but not anymore. However, there are hidden muscles in our ears that still try to perk them up when we are listening closely. A recent study found that these muscles show activity when we are paying attention. In the study, volunteers listened to an engaging audiobook while distracting sounds were played. The researchers found that the electrical activity in these muscles changed based on how hard the volunteers were trying to listen. This could help in understanding how much effort people put into listening and improving hearing aids. It could also help in measuring fatigue from listening, as many people with hearing difficulties don't realize how much energy they use just to hear. More experiments are needed to confirm these findings, but it could be a helpful tool in the future.