Do you listen to music when you read or read in silence? Or both?
Do you listen to music when you read or read in silence? Or both?
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Both.
Both.
Mostly silence.
Quiet, please
Silence … the better to hear the story. 🙂
Silence
Silence
Depends on my mood and the book.
Silence. I’m easily distracted! =/
Mostly silence unless it is classical. If there are words and I know the song it is distracting because I find myself singing along instead of reading. ?
I’m the exact same way!
@Liz, kindred spirits! 🙂
Silence. If I have music on I’ll start to sing and not be able to read
Both.
Silence
Music. I don’t like the quiet.
Silence
I prefer silence but there’s not much of that here lol… I can read w/ music but I can’t concentrate when I hear the TV in the other room!
Both
Music
Silence.
I like the tv for background noise.
Silence works best for me for reading and writing – but hardly ever happens at my house. Lol! Second best is headphones with a gentle song on repeat. 🙂
Silence unless instrumental
Both
When I was a kid I would read a book whilst watching TV and listening to the radio/music. It would drive my mother nuts!
Silence most of the time but if I’m in public I have my headphones in.
In silence
Silence .. I like to fucos on what I read
Silence and alone in a room. I do not like being distracted while reading
Silence. Sweet silence.
I also enjoy sweet silence when I can get it.
Silence or with nature sounds (think birds, waves, flowing water) as background.
Both.
Both. Honestly depends on what I am reading and how I fel
Both
Both
I turn the tv on ????
Silence, please!
Noise is too distracting, I can’t “hear” what I’m reading haha
I have tinnitus really bad so I constantly have to have sound. I usually turn on a twitch stream and ignore it or an instrumental Spotify playlist.
Same here, but I just have the TV on usually. I can tune it out. I keep thinking I should turn it off and turn on some music but I mostly just listen to music in the car.
Both, depending on the type of story… I read the Twilight Saga to love music. It drove the already wonderful story forward… Oh my goodness, I can still feel it…. I read the Harry Potter series in silence, I was able to feel the power, the magic, the fear, the adventure, and the sense of triumph better. Classical music with academic works. Silence with thrillers or horror stories, etc…
Silence. Neuroscience research tells us that our brains are not good at multi-tasking, and my own experience bears that out. If I try to do both at once, I’m giving short shrift to both. And that’s particularly frustrating if both music and literature are compelling.
I find the distraction very frustrating as well?
I think it depends on how you use the music. When I have music on, it’s not to actively listen. It’s to drown out conversations around me. Interestingly this study had different findings.
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2007/07/music-moves-brain-to-pay-attention-stanford-study-finds.html
Interesting!
both
Both.
Music, when I have noise in the background I tend to retain more.
Generally I listen to music when I quilt, sew, draw, do any art, garden, or clean the house. I prefer silence when reading. (Well, except for natural noises like birdsong when I read outdoors.)
I watch / listen to Boston Red Sox baseball or NE Patriots football or ACC college basketball while I am knitting.
Love reading in noisy coffee shops.
Ditto.
It generally depends on what I am reading. Heavy academic reading requires me to concentrate more fully so I rarely listen to music when reading texts or heavy nonfiction. I often times listen to instrumental music when reading fiction or for pleasure. Have you listened to Zoe Keating?
No I haven’t heard of Zoe Keating. I’ll have to check them out. ?
I just listened to “Escape Artist” on YouTube, I’m already hooked! Thank you so much for the suggestion!! ? Many thanks!
I love string music. Zoe kicks butt.
Silence always
Both
Sometimes music but only movie scores or calming chill out stuff with no lyrics xx
Silence is golden!
Music!
Silence! Or at least quiet.
Been listening to spa music on Sirius on low lately when I read. Super relaxing.
i listen to kendrick once in a while
Silence or instrumental music only… and with audiobooks I can do numbers or games or chores but not read/listen effectively.
I’m just happy if my boyfriend stops talking long enough for me to complete a paragraph.
Silence
Silence.
Silence
Both
Silence or instrumental.
I listen to instrumental music. I especially like piano or classical guitar.
I’m curious if the people easily distracted are also the same people who turn down the radio when they can’t find their destination while driving? ? I joke! (Kinda)
Guilty!
I do this! Also in heavy traffic and while merging onto a highway.
T.V. is on.
SILENCE 🙂
Depends- like music but quiet is find too
Both, but I prefer to read in silence.
Favorite thing mindless music in my ear book to read riding stationary bike
The sound of dogs snoring is my fave. ???
me too!
Depends where I am
Both.
Silence.
Both
Silence
For me, music is a distraction. I’m a pianist and am pretty well-versed in music theory. I find myself analyzing the music I’m listening to instead of reading my book.
it’s automatic, isn’t, to analyze
Silence
silence
listen to music lol
Silence for me.
soundtracks for me.
Silence, preferably ??? but if im in a waiting room of some sort can zone out quite easily ??
Both
Not always the same, depends on the concentration required for the book usually
Music is usually off, but if it’s quiet or instrumental, I can do both.
both, yes, depends on the book. I’m reading a book about Erik Satie, and the corresponding website has his music which should be listened to as you read. Love it!
Both
Shhhhhhhhhhhhh….
I have tried and just can’t. It has to be quiet or like sports on tv
Like it quiet when I read, part of getting older for me, prefer no TV too…
Silence. But if there is noise around me, I quickly “drown it out” by getting completely engrossed in my book.
Mostly with radio or tv on and then before bed, silence just to wind down 🙂
No. I have to have silence if at all possible. I have ADD, so it is very difficult for me to tune the background out. Sometimes, I actually put in earplugs or just headphones with nature sounds.
Silence!
Good question; prefer quiet.
leave tv on
both.. but most times tv is on because I don’t live alone..
I like nature sounds when I read,especially the ocean.
Music.
The older I get the less I can multi task. Now I like silence. I do not listen to the radio or watch TV
Silence or screaming children ?
truth!
So true ????????
Our house is never silent
Your profile pic makes me smile
Nor ours!
@Victoria, my face book parrots or Carl and Ellie Fredrickson …love the film Up …..has me in tears for the first 20 mins and laughing for the rest Brilliant !
Silence
Both. Usually music
Both. Or I’ll put something on netflix just for background noise.
Sometimes I read when my husband is watching tv, but I often find that distracting. My favorite is when he’s watching something in another language with subtitles. Then I can tune it out..
Both
Silence.
Silence–beautiful silence.
I read while my husband watches television. Ball games or car shows so it is easy to read around. Music I enjoy too much to ignore and read.
I read no matter what’s going on. Here, it’s usually sports on tv! But my favorite is silence, by far!
Both
Both. Depends on mood.
I think of music when I read; which is not quite the same thing. Some texts lend themselves to a soundtrack.
Usually in silence.
Usually in silence. Depends on what I’m reading. Magazines I can usually have other noises around. If I’m reading a really good book I like it quite.
I’m a very and easily distrated person, so if the ambiance is noisy (like a cafe or similar) I need some instrumental music on my ears to hold me from hearing other people’s conversations. But if I’m in a quiet place, silence will give me more focus on the reading.
Silence or music are both good, but if the book is wonderful, it doesn’t matter too much what else is going on.
Depends on mood but it would be classical or instrumental music. There is a great reading playlist on Spotify which I dip into.
Both
Silence.
Silence…my mom was one of those who felt studying and reading should be done without distraction, and it’s just a long term habit.
Both!!
Silence
Silence
Silence. For me, music is distracting.
Silence or music I don’t like so I can tune it out.
Silence is golden!
I can’t even shop with music playing, let alone read a book!
Silence
Silence
Prefer silence
now I am old I only read last thing at night and in silence, when young, I could read anywhere.
must be very very quite. i’m easily distracted
Silence
simultaneously listen to a different audiobook
not really
LOL…I was jealous there for a minute.
No, I need silence always.