Are you an Eavesdropper?

[Toby]

Hi everyone,

A recently added article on The Blue has some really interesting facts about eavesdropping on other people’s phone conversations:

• Over 80 per cent of Brits admit to eavesdropping on other people’s phone conversations while on a train or platform
• Nearly 9 in 10 think that people have no reservations while talking on the phone in public
• 60 per cent of Brits think people would benefit from some kind of etiquette guide when it comes to talking on the phone whilst using public transport

Do you agree? Do you regularly find yourself listening to other people's conversations? I'm sure we're all guilty of this at some point

[Anonymous]

Yes people on public transport do tend to talk loudly whilst on the phone and usually it is difficult not to listen to their conversations.  I travel daily on the bus and sometimes really want to tell people to stop talking, honestly it's as though they want everyone else to listen in.  I have heard some very interesting conversations though perhaps not as interesting as the ones @jonsie has overheard in Thailand!

[Cleoriff]

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@Poppysmum wrote:

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I can relate to this . On the odd occasions mum wants something from supermarket and they havent got exactly what she asked for i have known to ring her (waits over 5 mins for her to answer phone) then another 10 mins explaining what she asked for and whats on shelf and all the time i am thinking why o why didnt they have what she asked for. Lo and behold if i take wrong thing thats why i ring her  

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I can just imagine this @Poppysmum and it made me laugh. Thankfully when I was shopping for my Mum, I didn't have a mobile phone

[Poppysmum]

Another pet hate is folk who have all noises on phone . Turning page ping pong dialing a number tring tring you get the jist . Mine is on silence apart from when someone rings , i get text or alarm goes off. No need for all stupid noises when doing other things.

[Beenherebefore]

@jonsie got it right....people do talk louder when on a mobile phone.

I've proved that several times when I've been with people who have been on a landline call and have used the mobile at the same time (or vice versa) to pass on information.

The volume of the voice is significantly louder when speaking to the mobile caller than when they talk to the landline caller.....one of those people was my wife and she couldn't explain why as the call clarity was approx the same and she didn't actually realise she was speaking louder on the mobile.

[anticpated]

It's funny because technically a mobile telephone connection should have less line noise, so there is no need to "shout" or are people just forgetting to talk quieter.

[Anonymous]

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@anticpated wrote:

It's funny because technically a mobile telephone connection should have less line noise, so there is no need to "shout" or are people just forgetting to talk quieter.

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Good point - maybe it is the environmental noise that prevents them hearing what is said on the phone?  Traffic, aeroplanes, alarms going off, police sirens,  and other people shouting into their phones etc etc?

[jonsie]

People tend to adapt their voice to the sorrounding environment but the modern mobile tends to focus on the person speaking with background noise inhibitors enabled.

[anticpated]

Unless you have a mid-range smartphone or better, you are unlikely to have a secondary phase cancellation microphone. I know my Samsung S2, Nexus S and current LG has this enabled by default. Another thing to consider people's hearing range reduces the older they get.

Having some sort of awareness of your surroundings and ambience is surely nothing short of sensible.

[Anonymous]

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@jonsie wrote:

...................... background noise inhibitors ...................

 I married one of those....................

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