I'd take the headphones off if I could close a door or, even better, work from home. Otherwise, I can guarantee there will be several times each day where a bunch of coworkers (and sometimes my boss) will spend considerable time talking loudly about anything but work.

That must be the valuable communication that articles like this espouse. I don't mind banter if it doesn't bother those working and if the people bantering can actually produce. That's not the case in my situation.