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I'm middle aged. This kind of background noise sounds terrible to me. Maybe I just grew up in a quiet place.

by dguest 3y ago

b112 3y ago
There are people who like to hear other humans blathering on all around them. Then there are sane people. We're outnumbered.
dr_dshiv 3y ago
John Von Neumann liked to do math with the TV on as background noise. Genius.
- jimmy76615 3y ago
  I heard all those stories about Von Neumann working like that. According to a biography, his wife once designated a room as his office and he became very angry about that since it was too quiet for him to work there. Personally I need almost complete silence in order to get anything done, his abilities in this regard always fascinated me.
  - ang_cire 3y ago
    I actually prefer to work in a cafe setting, where there is a good amount of non-directed background noise; no one talking to me, but just to each other. If it's dead quiet, I become hyper-alert to noises, to the point I can't concentrate on working.
  - extraduder_ire 3y ago
    It's just a different kind of environmental requirement. It's useful for some people to have recognisable sounds going on while they work, so they have something to latch their focus if they lose it for a second. Whether that be music, or every seinfeld episode on a shuffled loop on the TV. I have found it useful in the past to listen through every song I have on shuffle while I read, which was nice when I took a few-seconds break every couple of pages and came across a song I wouldn't have picked out otherwise. Alt-tabbing out of a podcast or something completely wrecks my focus on both for some reason though.
lukan 3y ago
It is terrible, yet quite some people rather have that distracting noise, than hear their own thoughts. For some it is just the illusion of having more people around them, though.
msp26 3y ago
When you have permanent background noise in the form of Tinnitus already it's an improvement.
offices 3y ago
I grew up being accustomed to having the TV as background noise but stopped watching it when I moved out. Now, when I visit my parents, it's honestly quite difficult for me to focus on conversation - there's a machine in the corner making deliberately attention-grabbing sights and sounds. So I think your experience is normal & I empathise with the generation that complained about TV ruining family life.
psd1 3y ago
Same and same and same, but I know exactly why I won't leave the telly on - I'm very susceptible. It grabs me. Even though I have no interest in ads or even 95% of programming. It's not a pleasant feeling.

I'm middle aged. This kind of background noise sounds terrible to me. Maybe I just grew up in a quiet place.

by dguest 3y ago

I'm middle aged. This kind of background noise sounds terrible to me. Maybe I just grew up in a quiet place.

b112 3y ago

There are people who like to hear other humans blathering on all around them. Then there are sane people. We're outnumbered.

dr_dshiv 3y ago

John Von Neumann liked to do math with the TV on as background noise. Genius.

jimmy76615 3y ago
I heard all those stories about Von Neumann working like that. According to a biography, his wife once designated a room as his office and he became very angry about that since it was too quiet for him to work there. Personally I need almost complete silence in order to get anything done, his abilities in this regard always fascinated me.
- ang_cire 3y ago
  I actually prefer to work in a cafe setting, where there is a good amount of non-directed background noise; no one talking to me, but just to each other. If it's dead quiet, I become hyper-alert to noises, to the point I can't concentrate on working.
- extraduder_ire 3y ago
  It's just a different kind of environmental requirement. It's useful for some people to have recognisable sounds going on while they work, so they have something to latch their focus if they lose it for a second. Whether that be music, or every seinfeld episode on a shuffled loop on the TV. I have found it useful in the past to listen through every song I have on shuffle while I read, which was nice when I took a few-seconds break every couple of pages and came across a song I wouldn't have picked out otherwise. Alt-tabbing out of a podcast or something completely wrecks my focus on both for some reason though.

lukan 3y ago

It is terrible, yet quite some people rather have that distracting noise, than hear their own thoughts. For some it is just the illusion of having more people around them, though.

msp26 3y ago

When you have permanent background noise in the form of Tinnitus already it's an improvement.

offices 3y ago

I grew up being accustomed to having the TV as background noise but stopped watching it when I moved out. Now, when I visit my parents, it's honestly quite difficult for me to focus on conversation - there's a machine in the corner making deliberately attention-grabbing sights and sounds. So I think your experience is normal & I empathise with the generation that complained about TV ruining family life.

psd1 3y ago

Same and same and same, but I know exactly why I won't leave the telly on - I'm very susceptible. It grabs me. Even though I have no interest in ads or even 95% of programming. It's not a pleasant feeling.