Headphone wearing makes the loneliness epidemic worse, expert warns, after study finds more than a third of UK users wear them to avoid having to talk to others

A study for headset maker Jabra finds nearly half of UK headphone users wear them for walks and the average Briton goes five weeks without talking to strangers

It has called on people to step away from their headphones for a day because ‘social interaction and the company of friends means everything’

Reading Time:3 minutes

A headphone-wearing commuter in London. A study by audio firm Jabra reveals more than a third of British headphone users wear them to avoid having to talk to other people, and that the average Briton goes five weeks without speaking to someone new. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 6:18pm, 10 Aug 2021Updated: 6:18pm, 10 Aug 2021

People can go more than a month without having a meaningful conversation with someone new because of how long they spend wearing headphones, research suggests.

A study by audio firm Jabra found that British headphone users wear them for on average 58 minutes a day, with 38 per cent keeping them on to actively avoid talking to others.

The research found that nearly half of those asked (47 per cent) wear headphones when they go for a walk, 29 per cent said they did so when travelling on public transport and 15 per cent said they wear headphones every day for non-work purposes, a figure that rises to 30 per cent among 16- to 24-year-olds.

It said people in Britain were now going, on average, five weeks without talking to someone new.

Commuters wearing headphones on a train in New York. Researchers have found that even just a 30-second exchange with a stranger can make us feel significantly less lonely. Photo: Getty Images

In response, Jabra has called on people to step away from their headphones for one day to reconnect with others around them.