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Comment by Diederich | Hacker News Reader

> I refuse to wear noise cancelling headphones all day long.

May I ask why? Even when I work at home alone, and there are no stray noises at all, I'll still wear my headphones when I want to really focus. Years of mental conditioning has led me to a place where it's much easier to deeply focus when I'm wearing headphones listening to white noise.

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Some folks have problems with their ears. Noise canceling headphones feel like they are exerting constant pressure which kills focus and concentration. Head in vice feeling is not fun.

Not the op, but also wouldn't wear them. Weird ear shape means earbuds start hurting after a while, while the over-ear solutions make me sweaty/uncomfortable.

Not to mention earrings -- I've yet to find headphones that I can wear comfortably for a couple of hours that won't leave my piercings sore.

If I'm in an engine or equipment room, working on the engine or equipment, yes.

If I'm in an office, nominally for intellectual work, no motherlovin' way.

(I've done both. Equipment case can be tolerated and acceptable. The desk/office situation absolutely is not.)

It's uncomfortable for me as I have relatively big and slightly weirdly shaped ears. This in effect means that two hours is around the maximum I can wear headphones for.

If I take more frequent breaks I can stretch it to about 3 hours.

If we're losing the AC war, then it's normally the heat that does it.

Noise cancelling, at least the Bose version I've experienced, gives a feeling of pressure in the ears. I've read that others experience this, though obviously not everyone. I can only handle it for short amounts of time before I'm tearing them off my head.

Anyone would say they are glad to have the ability to wear headphones when they want to. To be forced to all day just to stay sane? Degrading.

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