Listening to a podcast on the morning commute, drowning out the office noise with your favorite album,

getting lost in an audio book as you walk home.

For many of us, navigating the world through headphones is second nature.

But is there more to these everyday experiences than listening to her favourite content?

Is there more to headphone listening than meets our ears?

In this episode, we'll be exploring the philosophy and psychology of sound and headphone listening with Dr Jacob Kingsbury Downs,

departmental lecturer in music at the University of Oxford.

Named as one of 2024 as BBC New Generation thinkers,

Jacob's research takes place at the intersection between sound studies and continental philosophy

and seeks to reveal how headphone use shapes our minds and the fabric of society.

According to Downs, headphones do more than play our favourite sounds.

They transport us into sensory shelters,

intimate spaces of comfort and focus, and our own private theatres.

Headphone listening, he argues, is about safety, control, and reconnecting with familiar feelings

of home. Yet, not all sounds are soothing. As we shall see, sometimes our intimate sonic spaces

can be exploited as a means of torture, brainwashing,

and corrupting our sense of self.

Don't worry though, you're safe with us.

Plug in your headphones. It's time to relax.

After all, there's no place like home. Hello and welcome to episode 135 of the Panpsychast.

Snuggled up in my acoustic cocoon, I'm Jack Symes and I'm delighted to be

joined once again by the sonically dominant Mr. John Hawkins. Hello. And the auditory

...