Why headphones have more powerful impact on listeners than speakers 

 By Tom Campbell via SWNS

Headphones have a much more powerful impact on listeners than speakers because the voice is inside their heads, scientists have found.

People who use headphones feel closer to what they hear and are therefore more likely to change their views and behavior, according to a new study.

The amount of audio-visual information people consume in the UK on a daily basis has risen to around five hours 40 minutes.

But how much audio media shapes a person's perceptions, judgments and behaviors has not been clear.

Now scientists at the University of California San Diego have found its impact could depend on whether the listener is using headphones.

Co-author Professor On Amir said: “We find that headphones produce a phenomenon called in-head localization, which makes the speaker sound as if they’re inside your head.

"Consequently, listeners perceive the communicators as closer - both physically and socially.

"As a result, listeners perceive the communicator as warmer, they feel and behave more empathically toward them and they are more easily persuaded by them.”

Five different studies involving fieldwork and online surveys with more than 4,000 participants were carried out.

In one experiment, 1,310 adults listened to an audio clip of a mother and daughter talking about being homeless through headphones or speakers.

Those who used headphones reported feeling more empathy and believed the mother and daughter came across as more genuine, the researchers found.

In another test, 800 adults listened to a speaker describe how her parents had died in a car crash after being struck by a distracted driver.

They then went on to warn people about the dangers of texting while driving.

Afterward, headphone listeners found texting while driving was more dangerous and caused more deaths than those who had heard in through speakers.

Fieldwork was also carried out at the UC San Diego campus to measure people's change in behavior.

Passersby were played a podcast segment where a speaker received an award before being given the option to write a letter in support of their achievement.

They could also sign up to learn more about how they could help spread the word about the speaker's company.

Those who had listened to the podcast through headphones were "significantly more" likely to write a letter or sign up, the researchers found.

This could have far-reaching implications given the ever-increasing rate of audio messages and virtual communication.

Before the global pandemic struck, radio advertising spending in the United Kingdom was around £703 million ($943 million).

Co-author Dr. Alicea Lieberman said: "If the aim is to have listeners feel close to the communicator or be particularly persuaded by their message, such as in a public service announcement, managers should consider placing their advertisement or message on a program often consumed via headphones, like a podcast.

"On the other hand, if a message does not require listeners to experience any feelings of closeness to the communicator, then where the message is placed would be less essential.”

Audio information plays an important part in peoples' workday, with more and more companies offering remote working and relying on video broadcasting, webinars and virtual classrooms to communicate.

Co-author Dr. Juliana Schroeder said: "Organizations may consider this research when designing their training or webinars.

"For example, managers might encourage employees to listen to safety trainings or webinars using headphones, which may more effectively change their attitudes and behaviors, compared to listening via speakers.”

Sending employees headphones and encouraging them to use them during remote meetings could therefore help companies foster collaboration.

Professor Amir said: “Clearly, our research suggests that influencers, bloggers and podcasters want to try to make sure that people listen by headphones because that creates that attachment.

"Our research proposes that it is not only what or whom people hear that influences their judgments, decisions and behaviors, but also how they hear the message.”

The findings were published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.