I Think I'm Addicted to Noise Cancelling

It Started with Office Noise

Working in an open office means nonstop noise. The person next to me on a call, laughter behind me, the coffee machine humming in the distance. I used to just deal with it, but then one day I got AirPods Pro and everything changed.

The moment I turned on noise cancelling, the world went on mute. It was a bit unsettling at first. Literally no sound. I thought I'd gone deaf. But after three minutes I adjusted, and I started locking in on code.

That day I felt about 1.5x more productive. That was the beginning.

When Did It Get Weird?

At first, I only used them at the office. Perfectly reasonable use.

Then I started wearing them on the subway commute. Also understandable — subway noise hits about 87 decibels.

But now I wear them at home. I live alone. The refrigerator hum, the ticking clock, cars outside. These started bothering me. They never used to.

(I knew this was getting a bit much, but it was already a habit.)

I wear them on walks too. No music — just ANC on. Walking through a quiet world where only the faint sound of wind gets through.

Problems Emerged

The biggest issue is that I can't focus without ANC anymore.

When I take them off in a meeting room, the ambient noise feels overwhelmingly loud. Was it always this noisy? No. My ears have adapted to silence and now they perceive normal sound levels as excessive.

One day I forgot to charge them and had to work without ANC. I genuinely could not focus. The panic when the battery hit 3%. Running out of coffee felt less alarming than losing noise cancelling.

And people have started noticing I can't hear them. A coworker will be right next to me saying "hey" and get zero response, eventually having to tap my shoulder. I do feel a bit bad about that.

What About Everyone Else?

I asked ten developers: "Do you feel anxious without noise cancelling?" Seven said yes. Three don't use earbuds at all, and honestly, those three fascinated me.

"How do you focus in all that noise?" "Isn't that just... normal?"

Sure, it is normal. But once you've experienced a silent world, there's no going back.

The gear keeps getting pricier too. My first AirPods Pro were 359,000 won. Then I bought the Sony WH-1000XM6 for 489,000 won. Reviews said the ANC was even better. (Honestly, I just thought they looked cool.)

Should I Quit?

I wonder sometimes. Is this a tool, or a dependency?

Feeling anxious without noise cancelling — isn't that dependency? Then again, nobody calls needing glasses to see a dependency. It's just using a tool effectively.

I know I'm rationalizing, but I don't want to stop. The quiet world is too good. When noise disappears, my thoughts sharpen, code becomes clearer, and my head feels organized.

I've been trying to find a reason to quit but haven't found one. Or maybe I just don't want to find one.

I'm writing this with ANC on right now. At home. Alone. Still wearing them.