How do you feel about people who wear headphones and earbuds all the time?

In the office? That’s a little extreme, I was thinking of people in NY. Wouldn’t you want to be open to communication in a work environment? I don’t care I guess.

It’s the attitude of “I would die if I went a minute without my iPod” that bothers me. iPods are a luxury item. You won’t die without them.

They are the people who wont hear the car come screeching towards them as you jump out the way.

I’ve never had to interact with people who do that, but if it’s someone who i had to communicate with often, and had to try to get their attention each time by waving or tapping them because they can’t hear me, then i’d be very annoyed.
I agree with @Mariah – there’s no need to constantly wear things like that for extended periods of time, unless you’re not in a workplace and listening to music or something.

I’ve always struggled with social phobias and anxieties, I can remember having issues even back in 1st grade.
Having my headphones on makes it easy to, as you put it, get into “my zone.” But in a very different mentality than the one you state.

With my music on, I don’t hear all of the giggles and half-whispers of people. I’m not plagued with my worrisome “Are they giggling about me?” attitude. I’m able to focus on whatever I’m trying to do. I’m able to… simply… be.

So no. It doesn’t bother me when I see someone with headphones on.

I figure they are introverts and are using it as an excuse to hide in public. I feel sorry for them. They never see the opportunity coming.

In the office? I find that fairly strange & I’m surprised it’s allowed in the workplace. I think it’s harmless enough otherwise, i.e. out for a walk, exercising, etc.
I agree with @Mariah

I took a minute to ponder this and I actually have no feelings about it.

@perspicacious
LOL!

I don’t care either way.

Their thing, not mine, I don’t care. Headphones and I-pods aren’t needed for people to present conceit, anyway.

I’ve never seen someone do this in the office (how unprofessional?) but I enjoy having my headphones in while I’m at the gym. It is kind of a “don’t speak to me” thing to do. But I more or less use headphones to block any kind of unwanted male attention.

I don’t care one way or the other.

I wear headphones at work, but I have ADD and it helps me concentrate in the open office where there’s a lot of noise. I usually try to only use one earbud so that I can still hear other people though. At work it seems more like a way for people to deal with all the noises around them and I don’t see it as being rude to initiate a work related conversation with someone there.

On the other hand I found it incredible rude and off-putting that my mom would plug into her earbuds as soon as we got to the hotel and didn’t unplug unless we were on a tour when we went on vacation recently. Basically it felt like any time she wasn’t actively engaged in a conversation she was listening to her audio books and it made it difficult to initiate a conversation with her. I guess I feel if a person isn’t at work and listening to headphones/earbuds they don’t want to be social.