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The Psychology Behind Headphones
pvt_medic writes "The BBC has an interesting article today about portable music players and personal space. The article is on the research that Dr Michael Bull has done on portable music players. He analyzes them as a "tool whereby users manage space, time and the boundaries around the self." This article goes on to analyze the social and psychological aspects related to listening to music in public with headphones. A good quick read for those who do this."
Some women use earphones to deflect unwanted attention, finding it easier to avoid responding because they look already occupied.
People in general do this. I work at a technical college and see numerous students with headphones on (I don't believe I have seen earbuds recently). I see absolutely no reason for people to be listening to music while in any sort of educational institution. I would guess that would be the equivalent of someone's body languge -- showing crossed arms during a conversation.
I think that people are shy enough as it is. We do very little REAL social interaction as it is. Do we really want to become even more anti-social creatures by promoting music as some sort of "shield" from the outside world? Remember, the average person spends about 50% of their daily free time at home watching TV.
Music is something I like to enjoy with others at concerts and at home. Music is something that should be passed on to others. Nothing like finding a new genre of music you have never heard before because a friend had it playing in the car or in his house.
Just my worthless ramblings,
He analyzes them as a "tool whereby users manage space, time and the boundaries around the self."
Or could it be that they just want to listen to music?
Nah....
I don't see any empirical results. Have any experiments that he's done been reproduced? What are his methodologies.
Sounds like junk-science to me. The guy has a hypothesis. That's about it.
Here's my hypothesis: "Music sounds good. Noise sounds bad." Can someone write up an article on my thoughts? TIA.
"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." - Epictetus
The whole reason humanity left africa and then spread out across the entire planet, is because most people would prefer to be left alone. We all want, for the most part, our own 100 acre plots of land.
This is my sig.
I concur with the above reply. Please, please, if you are a young person who likes loud music, I beg you to be careful with your ears, and not make the mistakes that so many of my generation made. Maybe you think that you'll never, ever be in your thirties or forties and wishing that the ringing in your ears would go away and that you could hear again, but if you're blasting music into your ears, you will be. Doesn't matter if it's through headphones or that crazy car stereo that goes thump thump thump and scares people, the damage you do to your ears is permanent, and spending the second half of your adult life having to ask everyone to speak up and repeat themselves because of hearing loss suck-diddly-ucks.
Please believe me, kids, you will be thirty years old one day, and how well you are able to hear at that time depends very much on how well you treat your delicate, sensitive ears today.
You are in error. No-one is screaming. Thank you for your cooperation.
I'd never think of asking a question or making small talk.
Well, I agree that you are entitled to your own privacy and to not be disturbed at times, but you see people carrying these mp3 players everywhere. Whenever I go on the subway, every fourth person on the train is listening to music on their headphones.
It comes to the point where people put on headphones wherever they go (as you said).
Quoth the article, "listening to music acts as a shield, aura or cocoon."
Let me make an analogy of an analogy. Perhaps, as technologically oriented individuals, we can consider this as being a firewall, or perhaps a blanket spam filter. The problem is, it filters everything out. It's like making a habit of putting a DND sign at your office or dorm entrance - it prevents you from interacting, having wonderful experiences.
As I said in another post, life is worth living because it is dynamic and unpredictable. You will never know what you are missing if you choose to block out the world on a consistent basis. Maybe I am sitting on that subway train next to you, maybe we have some common interests. Maybe I have some interest tidbit of news, or a perspective on life or some other issue. But know what? That's too bad, because you'll never get to hear it, since I won't think to disturb you from listening to your music.
Here's some advice: you're entitled to listen to your music, but once in a while get a little adventurous and take them off.
That's interesting. I know that when I lived in Sweden and walked to the bus stop about a mile or so from my house, each song would start in a given space of 10 or 20 feet each time (if I started the tape from the beginning when I left my house). I had 15 tapes I listened to regularly and by the time my year was up, I knew almost exactly when each song would be playing on the walk. In fact, every time I hear Everclear's "Daughter of Mine" I think of a sharp turn in the path because that song always played then.
As far as the grandparent goes, this study may not be of great use for your average Joe, but there is something to be said for pure research on a topic that interests you. Academia should not be about strictly practical things. While I make no promises, I bet some of the most important leaps forward in tech were discovered because a researcher was trying to do something unrelated but happened across something brilliant.