Give your head some peace by leaving the earphones at home

French philosopher Blaise Pascal was on to something when he said: “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Why do we need earphones as a constant companion? And what are the effects of constant sound on our cognitive abilities?

I stopped using earphones for two weeks and made some interesting discoveries.

At the start of the experiment, I was nervous and agitated. I use my earphones all the time, except when socialising. I use them on the way to work, in the gym and while doing housework.

Day one was uncomfortable – like wearing a tight T-shirt. I got to the gym and immediately thought the workout would be more enjoyable with music blasting.

This period of irritability lasted until work and then passed. On my post-work walk to the Luas, I felt worse than earlier. It was something akin to distress. Choosing the right song for navigating the paths of Dublin is my jam.

My first revelatory observation was that people are interesting. They make funny noises and smile at text messages.

What I once considered boring quickly fascinated me. The quietness of public transport made an impression. It was dead quiet. If I closed my eyes, there was no indication I was with other people.

I tried to imagine how my parents experienced public transport. Were there more spontaneous conversations? Did romances strike up? Was it noisy?

There is something more insidious at play than simple distraction. Earphones, headphones and earpods have become a comfort for many of us.

I looked around the Luas and everyone appeared to be running secret surveillance on the carriage.

Aweek in, I noticed my brain felt more charged, like the horsepower had been increased. Away from the distraction, I remembered to do things, such as responding to friends’ text messages. Ideas relating to work came to me.

Before the experiment, I frequently forgot my lunch despite preparing it the night before. This stopped happening in the second week of choosing not to fill my day with sound.

US computer science professor Cal Newport believes in the importance of cognitive solitude, describing it as “the absence of stimuli created by other human minds”. He has spoken about how our thirst for social interactions can be “cognitively expensive”.

We need to manufacture solitude. It might just be 20 minutes of stillness every day in the silence of your home. Your mind will thank you for the rest.

Without silence, our reactions are affected. The noise of choking might go unnoticed if your back is turned to a commuter on the train.

Music is great and so are podcasts, but tuning in to your surroundings may alert you to the fact that life is interesting.

Giving your brain time off may lead to a strengthening of your most important faculty – the ability to think.