“The Psychology Behind Why Cellphone Talkers Are So Annoying”

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The Psychology Behind Why Cellphone Talkers Are So Annoying Posted: 20 Sep 2010 05:37 AM PDT From the not-exactly-earth-shattering department comes a new report attempting to explain why public cell phone talkers are so annoying: Cellphone users irritate so mightily because their background chatter forcibly yanks listeners' attention away from whatever they're doing, says psychology graduate student Lauren Emberson of Cornell University. Overhearing someone spewing intermittent exclamations into a handheld gadget lacks the predictability of hearing a two-way exchange and thus proves inherently unsettling, Emberson and her colleagues report in an upcoming Psychological Science. That makes it harder to focus on one's own immediate business, be it reading a book, contemplating a work presentation or driving a car, the researchers propose. We know that operating a cell phone while driving is risky business, but apparently overhearing a passenger's call could be just as distracting. Emberson will look into further research with a driving simulator. Photo (cc) by Flickr user Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.

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