#noise

#noise

There is one noise, however, that seems to irritate people more than most others: the sound of other people's phones on public transport. Whether it's the entirety of Justin Bieber's new album, the screams and eery songs from the latest episode of Squid Game, five second TikTok videos or their handy man on speaker phone - being subject to someone else's phone activity can be enough to drive anyone over the edge.

"Any sound was noise: the burr of the TV from next door, the ticking of a clock in another room. When one layer of sound reduced its volume, another rose from beneath it, each intrusive and underscored by my own unending thoughts."