Why speakerphone calls in public are so irritating

You’ve probably experienced it – on a train, in a café, or in a quiet waiting room, when someone nearby decides to take a phone call on speaker. Their voice, tinny and distorted, cuts through the background noise, making it impossible to focus on anything else.

But why does this feel so uniquely irritating? It’s not just that it’s loud. It’s the way your brain processes sound, attention, and social norms. And beyond being an immediate annoyance, this kind of auditory disruption could also be affecting your sleep – sometimes in ways you don’t even realise.

Your brain struggles with half a conversation

One of the biggest reasons speakerphone use in public is so distracting is that the brain naturally predicts the flow of conversation, but when you only hear one side, it becomes unpredictable.

Instead of being able to tune it out, your brain keeps trying to fill in the gaps. That’s why it feels impossible to ignore – even when you don’t want to listen.

The low-quality, high-pitched problem

Unlike natural speech, phone speakers distort voices, stripping away depth and making them sound unnatural. That’s why they feel like they cut through background noise rather than blending into it.

Your brain is wired to filter out steady background chatter, but the unnatural, clipped sound of a phone speaker makes it impossible to fade into the background. Instead, it forces your attention to keep resetting, over and over again.

Speakerphone use ignores social cues

In a normal conversation, you adjust your voice to fit the environment. But when someone’s on speakerphone, they’re often completely unaware of how loud or disruptive they’re being.

Public spaces work on an unspoken sensory contract – everyone plays a role in keeping the noise level balanced. When someone breaks that by putting their conversation front and centre, it throws off the entire space.

It’s more than just annoying – it’s messing with your nervous system

Loud, unpredictable noise doesn’t just frustrate you in the moment – it activates your body’s stress response. Sudden or erratic noises cause a spike in cortisol, making you more alert and primed for action.

If you’re someone who’s particularly sensitive to sound – maybe you have ADHD, autism, or just a low tolerance for auditory clutter – you’ll know exactly how overwhelming this can feel.

Unlike steady background noise, speakerphone conversations come with random volume shifts, sudden laughter, and erratic pauses, which can be jarring and intrusive. Your brain struggles to filter out these bursts of sound, leaving you feeling overstimulated, anxious, or even physically tense.

And yes, it’s affecting your sleep

You might not connect speakerphone calls in public to your sleep problems, but they’re more linked than you think.

• Cortisol and alertness – When you spend your day being exposed to irritating, unpredictable noises, your stress hormone levels stay high for longer. High cortisol in the evening makes it harder to switch off when it’s time to sleep.
• Hypervigilance and sleep onset – The more time you spend filtering out distractions, the more your brain stays in high-alert mode. That overstimulation can carry over into the evening, making it harder to relax into sleep.
• Increased sensitivity to nighttime noise – If your nervous system is already wired from a day of sensory overload, even mild noises at night (like a ticking clock or a neighbour’s voice through the wall) can feel impossible to ignore.

If you’re struggling with sleep, your daytime sensory load could be part of the problem. The more overstimulated you are during the day, the harder it is to fully switch off at night.

It’s not just noise – it’s an invasion of space

Beyond the sensory overload, speakerphone calls in public trigger something else – an emotional response. They can make you feel frustrated, irritated, or even mildly enraged, because they signal a lack of awareness for the people around them.

That taps into something deeper – the feeling that public spaces are becoming more chaotic, that people are more self-absorbed, and that technology is eroding the basic social norms that make shared spaces comfortable for everyone.

What we all can do

• Encourage better social norms – A little awareness goes a long way. Signs in public spaces and social pressure can help reinforce that speakerphone use isn’t neutral – it’s disruptive and an invasion of other peoples spaces
• Use tech solutions – Noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs can help block out unwanted noise when you need a sensory break.
• Manage your sensory load – If you’re feeling overstimulated, step outside, get some fresh air, or take a break from crowded environments. The less stressed your nervous system is during the day, the better you’ll sleep at night.

Final thought: let’s bring back some peace

The issue with speakerphone use in public isn’t just about volume – it’s about how your brain processes incomplete conversations, the way unpredictable noise adds to your stress levels, and the fact that we all share responsibility for the spaces we move through.

If you’ve been feeling overstimulated, struggling to wind down in the evenings, or waking up feeling exhausted, it’s worth paying attention to the sensory load you’re carrying throughout the day.

Understanding why speakerphone use is so disruptive might just help shift social norms – and bring a little more calm back into your days and your nights.