Do you need background noise?

[Helpmechooseausername]

I was reading through a thread about having the radio on in the office and was struck by how many comments there were about either needing silence or noise to be able to work.

It doesn't bother my either way at work because it's a busy, noisy place anyway, but I can't stand my home being silent! Ideally, the radio goes on as soon as I'm up and doesn't go off until I go out / go to bed / watch TV.

It's like I can't function without some music or chatter! I find it hard to cook dinner or wash up or whatever in silence. It's quite unnerving!

What about you? Are you a silence or a noise kind of person?

I crave silence but very rarely get it. I’ve got inconsiderate neighbours so I have several smart speakers that play background music both upstairs and downI turn them on the minute I get home - if I don’t hear the noise in the first place I am generally more relaxed. I’d like to play music (with headphones) at work but we’re not allowed 🙄

Depends what I’m doing. I like classical or other instrumental music (BBC Focus Beats is one of my favourites) if I need to concentrate. Pop radio or talk radio is too distracting but I have that on if I’m cleaning/tidying.

Complete and utter silence is my preference for both at work and at home. I physically cannot read or think or type if there is any background noise (birdsong, very distant chatter or traffic is ok).

I often ask the classes of secondary aged children I teach whether they prefer silence or background noise to help them focus (literally just for anecdotal research) and they roughly split into 1/3 need silence, 1/3 need noise and 1/3 don't mind either way.

This is me.
I have to have some noise day and night i have a fan on or a white noise box.
The silence is more deafening to me.
I also have tinnitus and migraines.

That sounds so nice. I feel like world noise is really exacerbated since covid, to unbearable levels. In the winter when I'm in the house on my own I will literally sit in as much silence as the outside noise allows me all day long.

If I am at home, then I LOVE the silence (with the exception of if I am watching something, or decorating, in which case music goes on). I am lucky to live in a quiet area, where the silence is only interrupted by livestock, birds, passing tractors and sometimes my neighbour's barking dogs. If I have to pop into the city for anything that I can't get here, there is a certain cut-off point where the world goes back to being green and quiet, and I always breathe a sigh of relief!

If I am at work, silence is usually a terrible thing as it means that something has gone wrong (e.g. a power-cut or something has just malfunctioned). Sometimes I'll listen to music, but switch the radio off if I'm driving tractors and things, because the inane chatter drives me mad when I'm concentrating!

Elsewhere, I struggle with constant noise. Perhaps this is one reason why my sibling and I finally got on a bit better when they moved out, because they were noisy and had music or the TV on at all times!

At home and out walking, silence. An audiobook in the car. When cooking, a podcast or familiar streamed programme, ditto ironing or exercise bike.

I'm retired now but when I worked I needed silence to mark work.

Mostly silence (default) but will have talk radio on in the car and like a little bit of background chatter in the office, if there aren't many people around I put talk radio on low using earbuds so I don't actually listen, just hear the voices. It would totally do my head in if anyone put music on in the office or music radio. I listen to audiobooks and podcasts in the car, sometimes when gardening or doing housework. I like music but there are very few times when I actually feel like listening to it, I'd never have it on in the house, I like to be able to hear what else is going on. Ocasionally put it on in the car and I don't mind if DD puts hers on in the car.

But I can't hold a conversation over music or TV, other than exchanging the odd comment, it's awful if I go to someone's house and tbey have TV or music on in the background fortunately most people don't. DH and my DCs listen a lot but all use headphones. I especially crave silence first thing in the morning, DH puts Radio 2 on when he gets up but fortunately doesn't get up till I've gone to work so I don't have to hear it. He doesn't do it at weekends as I honestly can't bear it.

I like ticking clocks, I have one in my office and one in the living room at home.

It depends. have ADHD so need music or a podcast on to do anything that is “boring”, routine or doesn’t require much thought. Such as doing most chores or even getting washed and dressed. I struggle to do it at all, without.

Conversely, anything that requires thought I can’t have any noise at all (music without words can be ok sometimes) as I can’t tune it out and it’s incredibly distracting. I find I literally can’t think at all (my brain freezes) and feel incredibly anxious/stressed and overwhelmed. I also can’t have anyone talking to me while I am trying to do something - for example, chatting while cooking. I have no idea how anyone does this, it just makes my brain stop working, I feel incredibly stressed and start burning things left, right and centre. I can however listen to all music while cooking but not a podcast.

Quiet for me. Bird-song, lovely; bit of neighbour noise, no problem; music, OK for a while. TV & talk radio, hate it.

@TheeNotoriousPIG I too have a certain cut-off point where the world goes back to being green and quiet. I reach the brow of a hill and the moor stretches out in front of me. I often stop the car there and get out. The silence is so complete that it almost has a sound of its own (I know that sounds mad).

If I'm ever in a stress situation (a busy city, a hospital waiting room etc) I close my eyes and picture myself in that spot with the hills and sea stretching away silently.

noise, I actually can't get to sleep without the tv being on with a timer to switch itself off

Wow! Such a split between those of us who need noise and those that need silence!
I find it really interesting - another little way in which we all differ!

I hate the radio. The forced conversation is cringe at times, depends on the station as sometimes it's okay. The adverts tip me over though, can't listen to those. I'll use Spotify when driving, cooking, working outside of call time. I'd hate to endure other people's choices, radio in the office drives me crazy. Wear headphones!

100% need background noise 99% of the time

I do get overwhelmed at times with all the noise (dd stimming with her proloquo2go and having the tablet on and the TV on) and turn it all off

But that lasts 5 mins

If I were forced to sit in silence, id go insane with my thoughts. Or the tinnitus would get me 😅