you Up until about a month ago, the thought of leaving my apartment without headphones plugged into my phone filled me with anxiety. Whether it was a two-minute walk to the store or a two-hour commute where I could hear nothing but my own thoughts and the hustle and bustle of the city, it was enough to send me into a mild state of frenzy.

This obsessive relationship with headphones began earlier this year when a friend of mine, an ambient artist, Lance Laoyen noted that headphones not only disconnect us from the reality of noise pollution, but also continue to distract us under the guise of improving our focus. This conversation sent me into a bit of a spiral of thought that I am prone to fall into, and made me keenly aware of the ubiquity of headphones in our culture and how little attention we pay to them.

In Manchester where I live, it would be hard to find someone in the city centre do not have We wear headphones. Cyclists, commuters, runners, everyone. According to a Statista survey, 30 million people will be using headphones in 2022, the majority of which will be in-ear Bluetooth headphones such as Apple AirPods. By 2027, half of us are predicted to own headphones, the majority of whom will be between the ages of 25 and 45. Many of us choose to listen to something other than the outside world while on the go, whether it’s music, podcasts, or audiobooks, but increasingly I’m beginning to question why.

So in April, I gave up headphones for a month to become more mindful of my relationship with my surroundings, which was addictive to say the least. They were inextricably linked to my daily routine: taking out the trash, exercising, doing the dishes, writing, lunching, sleeping. The only time I ever lived without them was when the battery died. And never, ever, ever, by choice. The anxiety I felt until I was able to charge them should have been enough to at least tell me I was addicted.

Of course, it wasn’t always this way. In 1979, Sony launched the revolutionary Walkman, the world’s first personal listening device. It came with lightweight headphones, and it seemed like a miracle that suddenly music could be carried around with you. You could walk around surrounded by your own soundscape. In this sense, headphones have been very different for each generation, becoming more appealing and addictive with each successive generation. Gen X had the Walkman, while millennials loved MP3 players and iPods, digitizing the personal listening experience and making it even easier to listen to anything, anywhere, anytime. Gen Z, my generation, has grown accustomed to smartphones and streaming services. The desire to listen to something other than the outside world has never been stronger.

The invention of the Walkman didn’t just change the way humans listen to music, it changed the way we interact with our surroundings, with others, and with ourselves. It was a revolutionary change, and the use of headphones Accelerates the progression of hearing loss And more Causes an increase in traffic accidents No one seems to question it because people are distracted.

Someone has been closely studying the collective use of headphones. Michael Bull Bull, a professor of acoustics at the University of Sussex, was one of the first sociological studies of headphone adoption. He believes our addiction to headphones can be explained by a very human motivation: the need for control. This can be broken down into four dimensions. The first is cognitive, which has to do with our ability to control our mood; the second is environmental, which has to do with our power to block out unpleasant noises. Then there’s the physical dimension, which can mean anything from feeling more confident when walking through a crowd of strangers to being able to concentrate without being interrupted by unexpected noises. And finally, there’s social control: headphones allow us to block out everyone unless we choose to let them in.

But Bull points out that this control is a double-edged sword. Headphone users often say they’re free, but he says, “for that to be true, they’re dependent on machines. They’re bound by the economic dynamics of the world and the media they use. It’s a huge paradox: you’re manipulated, but that manipulation creates a sense of freedom.” This resonates with me. I try to be mindful of my relationship to things that seem to permeate our culture but aren’t actually necessary. For example, we feel we “need” smartphones and social media accounts just because they’re ubiquitous, but research consistently suggests that these things are not good for us in the long run. Are headphones different?

This paradox is best exemplified by my desire to control both my cognition and my environment. The two go hand in hand. Living in a city often leaves me disoriented. I witness so much horror that I have no choice but to look away. I walk through Manchester listening to Northern Soul, light on my feet, passing homeless people, completely immersed in my audiotopia. In a way, it seems necessary. It’s painful to see so much sadness every day and not be able to immediately help. So I understand the need to feel in control of my experience, the sense of freedom that comes from blocking it all out. The same can be said about blocking out the noise of industrialization. I understand the argument that headphones can be used as a tool for personal liberation, something Bull found in his research. But true liberation is when the outside world becomes more suited to our needs (and the needs of the natural world, of course).

But you can’t change what you don’t notice. This is what Laoyan told me in a conversation that preceded my experiment. I had never thought before about how our frequent use of headphones and unwillingness to hear the outside world cut us off from reality. He approaches the issue from an environmental perspective. An artist and researcher interested in the impact of noise pollution on the natural environment, he says, “For me, understanding noise pollution is a way of processing the kind of environment we have created and are creating and how it affects us ecologically. These unwanted sounds cause a surge in stress hormones in us and animals, which can be destructive if exposed for long periods of time.” He explains that in places with high levels of noise pollution, there is a high risk of mental and physical breakdown. To ignore it is simply to accept it, but change requires criticism, and to criticize, you need to listen.

Refuses to wear headphones It’s not just about acknowledging the ugliness of the world, but experiencing its beauty. When we block out the city noises that we consider negative, we also block out the noises of the natural world. On the way to the gym, as we walk through a tree-lined street, we hear the birds singing. They are not drowned out by traffic, and we can hear them if we listen carefully. It’s so lovely to hear the whole city. Using headphones, and especially listening to music, is a way to “beautify our experience,” making things more beautiful and enjoyable, explains Bull. But there is joy in the real world, too. It’s great to have. Beauty is all around us, and we just need to notice it.

It’s no secret that the practice of gratitude has many benefits for mental health. Being grateful for what exists outside of your possessions, being grateful for what you have even when you feel like you have nothing, is an infinitely positive thing. So what might be truly liberating is to accept things as they are, and know that while a lot of things are bad, there’s also a lot of good stuff. This is what Laoyan calls “taking back control of your ears,” which he encourages. “There’s something empowering about being able to experience the places we live in through our natural sense of touch and feeling,” he says. “Even if new technologies can enhance or extend the human body, there’s no escaping the fact that we’re intricately intertwined with the world.”

All of this may seem a bit philosophical, and may require a shift in perspective beyond simply leaving your headphones at home, but I noticed tangible benefits in my everyday life. During our email correspondence about the experiment, Laoyan asked me if I’d noticed an increase in my “natural energy.” I’d never thought of it that way, but he was right: everyday chores like washing dishes and hanging out laundry that were previously numbingly boring became relaxing, if not enjoyable.

As a neuropsychologist Dr. Amber Johnston Music stimulates dopamine and the brain’s reward center, she explains. We live in a dopamine-filled society, and many of our favorite technologies contribute to this. If we use music to release dopamine during “boring” tasks, it becomes harder to tolerate boredom. “People who can’t tolerate feeling bored seek out dopamine to relieve discomfort, and music and headphones may be a way to achieve that,” she says. “So actually, if you practice not seeking dopamine and spending time in a state where you feel comfortable with boredom instead, it gradually reduces the amount of additional stimulation you need to get the same dopamine release.”

If I didn’t already know about the social impact of headphones, the bewildered looks on my friends and acquaintances’ faces when I told them I was going to stop using them speak volumes. Most of them lamented the fear of being forced to listen to what other people are saying. And I understand. There is power in being able to easily ignore people, especially when it comes to undesirable behavior like catcalling. But it also closes us off from real interaction. study A survey by audio company Jabra found that UK headphone users wear them for an average of 58 minutes a day, and 38% do so to actively avoid talking to others, leading some researchers to worry that this could be contributing to a culture of isolation and a growing sense of loneliness.

I didn’t immediately start talking to strangers on the street the moment I stopped wearing my headphones, but I did hear more human conversations and felt more connected. But most importantly, I was able to give more of my attention to my loved ones when I was on the phone. I would often use my headphones to multitask while talking to people on the phone – making dinner and navigating on Google Maps. Since I stopped doing this, I’ve noticed that when I talk to friends and family, I can give them my full attention.

Still, I’m not actively against headphones. They can increase focus and productivity, and can be invaluable for people with sensory processing issues. But when I decided not to wear them, something magical happened. I began to calm down. Thoughts didn’t disappear, but they didn’t feel so heavy. They passed me by like cars on the highway. I learned to be present and appreciate the world as it is.

A month after the experiment ended, I still wear headphones from time to time, but they don’t have as much control over me as they

Source: www.theguardian.com