Is hearing and listening the same thing?

        We usually think that listening and hearing is the same but there is a big difference between them. When we are hearing we receive information unconsciously, we don’t have to do any effort to get sounds, words, but listening is an active process we have to do an effort for getting it. If we are listening we have to assimilate the information we are receiving in this moment in order to keep a conversation going with the other person and getting the gist of the conversation.

        For example we somebody are talking to us but we are not interested in the conversation, we can be thinking in other things while he/she are speaking to us. In this case we are hearing him/her but we aren’t listening. But in other case if we are interested in the  conversation we listen him/her carefully because we are receiving information and we can reply, give an advice, etc., there is a feedback between us.