[qumpis]

Why not put these earbuds in the office?

[wpm]

Did you not read about all the visual and social interruptions they talked about? Noise-cancelling for your eyes is called a blindfold.

[actionfromafar]

Overthinking responses to interruptions, looking for visual cues etc?

[gopher_space]

The fundamental point is that I'm not putting a box on my head so I can cope with your open floorplan.

[lolinder]

I did, but that was never enough: even 37dB ear muffs aren't enough to completely suppress the noise of a conversation happening nearby, but the ear muffs plus the walls and the door are.

And, of course, as others point out, the auditory distractions are only part of the problem with an open floor plan.

[qumpis]

I've got good results with white noise, not sure if that's something that would work for you. And of course I didn't suggest that this eliminates other distractions.

[smcleod]

Way too many distractions in an office, it’s not just trying to tune out sound, it’s visual, temperature, lighting, social, commuting etc…. They all increase your load.

[jacobyoder]

I've been in open office plans where wearing earbuds/headphones was seen as hostile/negative towards others. This was many years ago, but... not that many (in the mid 2000s).