Dr. Lindsey Cormack, a HASS political science professor, wanted to capture how something as ordinary as headphone usage might be shaping the way we interact with one another. She became interested in this topic for two main reasons. First, she stopped wearing headphones for a year and paid attention to spaces where people commonly used them, such as during commutes or on the subway. She noticed differences in behavior and interaction. Second, when she returned to campus, she saw that headphones had taken over, whether it was Peirce, Morton, or even lecture halls. Conversations happened less often, and people seemed more and more isolated. Next time you are on a subway, pay attention to the people around you. Most will have their headphones in, gaze averted downwards, and even their motor patterns were different. Dr.Cormack noted that people would often shift to a “subservient pose,” where gazes drop, shoulders turn inward, and people physically retreat from their surroundings. In a way, it is symbolic of how we are increasingly succumbing to estrangement due to the influence of headphones.
Dr. Cormack argues that by not wearing headphones, people create opportunities to spark conversations and practice basic politeness. Limiting our sensory experience to our phones and music may feel convenient, but it comes at the cost of real connection and shared presence. When we retreat into our own worlds, we lose small but important moments of human interaction, like a polite conversation, which are becoming increasingly rare. These interactions are essential to how we relate to one another. She illustrates this with an example from the gym. While she admits it was never a place where people were endlessly social, headphones make it even harder to connect. People often appear locked into a simulation, fully absorbed in their own routines. Headphones allow people to coexist in the same physical space while living in separate realities. Dr. Cormack stresses the importance of being aware of your surroundings, yet headphones weaken this awareness. How often might you ask a stranger how their day is going if you weren’t wearing headphones? It doesn’t necessarily have to be about starting long conversations but rather about leaving room for small acknowledgments that remind us we are part of a shared environment.
She sees the scariest trend among younger people, particularly students, who often wear headphones for up to four hours a day. This is concerning because those years are when people should be learning how to engage with a community. As she puts it, “Kids are like sponges: they take in what they experience.” Another interesting finding from her research is that when sounds come through headphones, they feel as though they originate from inside the mind. Compared to an external loudspeaker, this makes people more likely to believe or be influenced by what they hear. By bypassing the natural filtering that happens when sound travels through open air, headphones make the sound feel more internal and immediate, leaving us more open to its effects. This ties back to the “subservient posture” she observed, where people physically withdraw and may more easily give in to ideas simply because those inputs feel closer to their own thoughts. In contrast, a proactive posture reflects individuals who are more engaged with their surroundings and responsive to society.
Dr. Cormack was quick to acknowledge both the downsides and upsides of headphone use. Music, she noted, can be transitional and supportive in times of crisis, but it can also contribute to political isolation. We are already more susceptible to believing a thought when the sound frequency is delivered directly through headphones, and this effect is accompanied by political implications that concern her. Instead of sharing collective spaces where healthy debate and back-and-forth discussion can happen, people often retreat into their own bubbles. In these alienated spaces, outrage is curated individually, which can push people further toward extreme positions. Dr. Cormack captured this shift memorably, explaining that when headphones are added to the mix, “instead of ‘we are here together,’ it becomes ‘we are here together but on our own.’” She hopes people become more aware of their headphone use. As she puts it, “Being human, right now, is the most amazing thing,” yet with headphones, we risk becoming “less human.” The chemistry of being around other people is undervalued in a time when so many feel disconnected. Protecting that shared human experience matters. So next time you are on the subway, challenge yourself to make small talk with someone as opposed to wearing headphones and tuning out the world.
