tl;dr: Ubiquitous AirPod use is acting as a "Do Not Disturb" sign that discourages the casual stranger interactions psychologists say boost our sense of connection and faith in humanity—coinciding with a 28% drop in daily spoken words between 2005 and 2019. Research also suggests headphones make listeners perceive podcasters as warmer and more persuasive (reducing psychological distance), and constant audio consumption crowds out the idle mental time needed for reflection and meaning-making.