Link to May 21 Stuff (New Zealand) post. (via textually.org)
Excerpt: Ever wonder why overhearing a cellphone conversation is so annoying? American researchers think they have found the answer.
Whether it is the office, on a train or in a car, only half of the conversation is overheard which drains more attention and concentration than when overhearing two people talking, according to scientists at Cornell University.
"We have less control to move away our attention from half a conversation (or halfalogue) than when listening to a dialogue," said Lauren Emberson, a co-author of the study that will be published in the journal Psychological Science.
"Since halfalogues really are more distracting and you can't tune them out, this could explain why people are irritated," she said in an interview.
Last year Americans spent 2.3 trillion minutes chatting on cellphones, according to the U.S. wireless trade association CTIA -- a ninefold increase since 2000. [Emphasis added.]
Halfalogues? Paging Merriam-Webster.
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