Active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones are effective at attenuating low-to-mid frequency ambient noise (machinery hum, air conditioning, transportation noise). They are significantly less effective at attenuating high-frequency transient events (sharp voices, keyboard sounds, sudden acoustic events) — precisely the sound types that trigger the orienting response most strongly. Additionally, ANC headphones provide no outward isolation: the headphone user’s own speech (during calls or self-verbalized thinking) is fully audible to surrounding colleagues. For employees conducting client calls or sensitive professional conversations, headphones cannot substitute for enclosed acoustic space. For employees needing maximum working memory availability for complex individual tasks, the residual ambient plus the physical pressure of extended headphone wear create conditions inferior to a well-ventilated, near-silent enclosed pod.