I'm somewhat same, but kind of in reverse.
I never actually rode the train without headphones in - then one day, I left them out for a while, and couldn't help but notice all the dipshit'ery going on about me; I was frankly, flabbergasted that I had remained oblivious to it for so long.
So now, I ride the train, headphones in, screen on - and the outside world is a separate entity - except when some dipshit asks me to move my bag or some shit.
Then there was this one time where a gypsy started laying into his wife - that also served as a distraction.