I gave up my QuietComfort Ultra Headphones for no headphones — and after 3 months I've never felt better

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It was about 3 months ago that I first left my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones in my rucksack during a trip in London. Since then, I've not used a pair of ANC headphones at all while walking around outside, so that I can feel safer and more aware of my surroundings.

But there's been more to it, in the long run. It's opened me up to the wider world, the people that live alongside me, and the sounds of everyday life that I had missed for so, so many years.

I am safer

One of the primary reasons I stopped wearing my ANC headphones while out and about was so that I could feel safer while walking around cities and other busy environments.

I immediately found that I was much safer while crossing the street, and I could more easily guess what the people around me were going to do. People no longer "appeared out of nowhere," and I noticed more in my peripheral vision as I was able to focus more on my surroundings and not my music.

I can hear cars better as they approach crosswalks and other pedestrian crossings. I can tell if a car is going to stop for me instead of guessing, based on the sound that its engine is making. I'm no longer taken by surprise by quiet electric cars as they stealthily approach.

I've heard people trying to get my attention as well. I dropped my wallet at a train station the other day, and I would never have heard the kind lady trying to get my attention with ANC headphones on. Neither would I have been able to help her find the platform that she needed for her speedy connection.

Without ANC, my vision feels more rounded, and my awareness has increased. It's also shown me just how blind we can be when locked into musical cocoons of our own making — the number of people I've seen buried into their headphones step out in front of cars is mind-boggling.

I'm more confident

When I wore my ANC headphones to keep out the outside world, I was hesitant in pretty much everything I did. I would hold myself back from getting involved with things on the street, and I hated talking with shop staff.

I no longer live permanently cemented in my own personal bubble. I am more approachable by people who need help, and I'm able to be more actively engaged in what's going on.

I think now it's because I had become so used to being in my own world that I didn't enjoy having to let other people into it, even for a moment. While I shared a physical space with these people, I was living in my head — somewhere I like to keep for myself.

Taking off my headphones — and I mean taking them off, not just activating transparency mode — allowed me to become not just a physical part of the world, but an engaged participant within it. Suddenly I had to take stock of the people around me, and how I might have to interact with them.

Sure, sometimes it's annoying. The people that hand out pamphlets on street corners, noisy sports fans.

But it makes it much easier for me to handle sudden social interactions. I can make more decisive decisions when I'm grabbing coffee at a cafe, and I don't stutter when ordering a sandwich. I have brief chats with the people making my lunch.

I no longer live permanently cemented in my own personal bubble. I can take a more active role in what's going on around me. I am more approachable by people who need help, and I'm able to be more actively engaged in what's going on.

I made a new friend

I like to go to gigs. I go on my own sometimes, so that I can really get involved in the music. Previously, while walking to the gig and in the queue to go in, I'd wear ANC headphones so that I can immerse myself in the music before I get sweaty and half deaf.

But, as you might have guessed, when I ditched ANC while out and about, I had to ditch it when going to gigs. Now I had to interact with the people around me — turns out, the people you go to gigs with actually share a lot in common with you. Who'd have guessed?

I've even made a new friend. We met while I was waiting to go in for a death metal gig, and got chatting about our favorite pasta sauces. We continue to chat now, and go to gigs together. I'd have never met my new friend if not for my ANC experiment — and it goes to show why it's so important to be more aware of what's going on around you.

It's not for everyone

I understand that this is not for everyone. Some neurodiverse people value ANC and how it can isolate them from an otherwise overwhelming world. I'm not saying that everyone should go ANC-free at all — only that I've seen benefits in my experience.

I have had people question parts of my method, understandably. The most common is "why not just turn on transparency mode?" I've gone completely headphone free because it's not just the ANC that keeps me distracted while out and about, but music as well.

If nothing else, I want people to consider how they react to the world while they're wearing their headphones. As loneliness becomes a bigger issue, I can't help but wonder if part of the reason is down to how we lock ourselves away from our fellow humans. Perhaps it's time we untethered ourselves from our noise-canceling headphones.

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