to wonder why people have the TV on all day long.

[iwuddarryl]

Is it constantly on in the background?
Or do you only turn it on mid afternoon/evening?
Are you selective with your viewing?

MY OH was recently made redundant and I am CRAVING piece and quiet. Before he was around 24/7, I would have it turned off most of the morning, but he switches the tv on at 6am and it STAYS on. all. day. long.
It's as if he can't sit in a room without the box blaring away.

I like tv as much as the next person, but I HAVE to have a couple of hours piece and quiet in the house every day.
If I don't I feel stressed.
He says I'm unusual and being unreasonable.
Am I?

[wickedlazy]

Dp has it on the whole day, from he gets up until he goes to bed. When he's at work, I only have it on when watching something during the day which isn't often (prefer to read). Although if I have the house to myself, I'll put in on the evening for background noise, the house seems a different sort of silent at night.

[expatinscotland]

Horses for courses.

I have PTSD. I think very well, thank you, but sometimes, silence at home causes a lot of bad shit to surface in my mind and sends me off on one so I keep the telly on often enough.

[LiviaDrusillaAugusta]

Not taking it personally at all - the typical MN faux confusion as to why someone does something differently just makes me laugh.

[Doubleuponcoffee]

So your issue isn't wanting to know why people watch TV all day it's wanting silence in your house a few hours a day because you have sensory issues?

Surely if you know the reason you don't like the TV on your OP is irrelevant because you know the problem lies with you, not TVs or the number of other people who have them on all day?

[jelliebelly]

Ours is only on if being watched. I like peace and quiet if I'm at home - dh more likely to watch it than me but always turns it off when finished. Mil likes it on "for the company" all day.

[iwuddarryl]

it's to do with compromising etc that you both have to do when you live together.

Exactly.
Its all to do with compromise.
I accept the fact that the tv is going to be on for most of the day.
All I'm asking is that the tv isn't on all of the day.
I think that's reasonable.

And surely most adults can go at least 2 waking hours without having the tv on.

[Hygellig]

I turn the TV on to watch a specific programme then turn it off again. If I wanted background noise, I would put the radio or some music on. It would annoy me as well if it was on all the time.

[iwuddarryl]

Seems like half and half.

Lots saying they agree with me and they too dislike having it on all day.
and lots saying they like having it on all the time.

[iwuddarryl]

Totally agree, Hygellig.

I probably (if I added it all up) watch a lot of TV, but as soon as I've finished watching a program
Off it goes.

[LiviaDrusillaAugusta]

Anyway congratulations OP for being so awesome - I apologise if my having MH issues has meant I'm too thick to sit in silence for a couple of hours.

[Plornish]

I think you need to talk to your OH about this, not us, and agree where/when the TV is on while you are both at home during the day.

Also, is this more about his redundancy? Are you worried he won't find another job? Is he avoiding job-hunting by watching TV? How is his mood?

[NerrSnerr]

Why put a face for it being half and half? That's life, we're all different. I doubt it is to do with intelligence, just different personalities.

[iwuddarryl]

Thank you for the compliment Livia!

And please stop trying to twist what is a fairly lighthearted discussion into somehow being an insult towards you
Lots of people I've spoken to in RL and on here are annoyed at having partners who keep the tv on all day long.
That is why I started a thread about it.

If this thread annoys you as much as it seems to, why do you persist in posting on it?
Time to move away possibly and post on some other topic.

[iwuddarryl]

Plornish, he is a bit lost at the moment.
I think he is using the TV as a meas to avoid bigger issues.

[iwuddarryl]

as a means

[NerrSnerr]

Surely most adults have enough intelligence about them to be able to cope for a couple of hours without the tv being on?**
**
That comes across as a bit of a bitchy thing to say though op.

[TooMuchRain]

I would hate this, SIL has the TV on constantly when we visit, it's so unbelievably rude. I think because they do it all the time they can filter it out more but everyone else finds it impossible.

[iwuddarryl]

ToomuchRain,
I always try to turn it right down (or even better off) if we have visitors.
It's basic good manners.

waits for someone to find fault with that

[Murphyslaw21]

My telly goes on at 7am when I walk into lounge first thing. Stays on all day until 10pm. It's always on I can't stand it being off.

[PittedOlive]

There's a fair amount of research on TV and academic achievement, though it's not all conclusive. Some also relate TV watching to low feelings of 'well-being', which is interesting as regards how many Mumsnetters said they put on the TV to quiet down a shouty internal monologue, or the stop feeling alone in the house.

This is just an online magazine, but it does credit some studies:


www.endalldisease.com/studies-show-television-decreases-iq-creativity-academic-achievement-and-damages-the-brain/

•Reported in the Journal of Genetic Psychology was the finding that children’s television viewing ‘resulted in an eventual decrease in their academic achievement.’ (1)
•Then, in a 2005 study, other scientists confirmed ‘deleterious effects’ on mathematics ability, reading recognition and understanding later in childhood. Not only does television viewing displace both playful and educational activities, Scientists suspect this harm is due to visual and auditory output actually damaging the child’s developing brain. (2)
•Another study found that children ages eight and nine who have televisions in their bedrooms achieved the worst scores in school achievement tests. (3)
•A brand new 26-year study which tracked kids from birth up until the age 26 has concluded ‘television viewing in childhood and adolescence is associated with poor educational achievement by 26 years of age, and may have long-lasting adverse consequences for educational achievement and subsequent socioeconomic status and well-being.’ The doctors found significant long-term damage occurred even at so-called ‘modest levels’ of television viewing: between one and two hours per day. (4)

1 – Shin, N. ‘Exploring pathways from television viewing to academic achievement in school age children’, J. Genetic Psychology, December 2004; 165 (4) 267-81

2 – Zimmerman F.J., Christakis D.A. ‘Children’s television viewing and cognitive outcomes: a longitudinal analysis’, Archives of Pediatric Medicine, 2005; 159:619-625

3 – Borzekowski D.L.G., Robinson T.N. ‘ The remote, the mouse, and the no. 2 pencil: the household media environment and academic achievement among third grade students’, Archives of Pediatric Medicine, 2005; 159:607-613

4 – Hancox R.J. et al. ‘Association of television viewing during childhood with poor educational achievement’, Archives of Pediatric Medicine, 2005; 159: 614-618

[iwuddarryl]

Murphyslaw, you and my OH sound like match made in heaven

[RaskolnikovsGarret]

I do think being used to constant background noise could possibly make it harder for children to study etc in silence, as they get older. It might affect concentration levels?

[PittedOlive]

Sorry, typos. To stop feeling alone in the house etc.

[Plornish]

Sounds difficult for you both iwuddarryl. Any way you can nudge him tactfully towards doing something more productive? (Or quieter?)

[Pidapie]

I have it on very quietly for the company, as I feel a bit lonely :p