Silence or background sound?

[Crouton]

I've been noticing more and more lately how much I enjoy being in complete silence. I know some people who seem to absolutely hate silence and my Mum and my sister are two such people. My sister always has a radio on, even if she is studying, even when she is sleeping... it would drive me insane.

I've been realising how much long periods of sound annoys me. I enjoy listening to music but I can't just listen to it for hours on end if I am in my room, I generally have to turn it off after a while and just be in silence to clear my head. It's the same thing in the car, my Mum always has the radio on if we are in the car together and it drives me crazy. Sometimes I like to listen to music but other times I just like to be in silence while on a drive.

The problem is I've started noticing lately that it's not only music and radios, but even people talking. Some people have such loud domineering voices and I've been noticing how much it gets on my nerves when someone talks endlessly and just doesn't shut up. I'd never tell someone to shut up of course but in my head I often drift off to a nice, quiet peaceful place.

So what do you prefer, are you one who feels comfortable with some background noise almost all the time or do you like nice long periods of silence like I do?

 

[Millz]

For me there is almost always something on the background. If I'm on the computer then the TV is on. Or when I'm on the computer I'll play music in the background.

When I go to sleep I like to put the TV on sleep mode. I used to listen to music to bed but don't do it as much. I dunno, I guess I like distractions haha

 

[Rebeccaaa]

I like silence, but I'm easily pleased so it's more just a case of that being the option that requires the least effort on my part. If I'm in a music-liking phase then I will have it on the the background every now and then, but I can't concentrate on anything in the slightest if there's music or whatever playing. If I had it on right now then I would have to pause it in order to write this reply lol.

I do like the window open and listening to the sounds outside though.

Oh and since I'm living in a detached house right now, I can hear music in the room next-door pretty much constantly. Whoever lives there has soft music playing as they sleep, which would be annoying if I minded (which I don't, really. It's not too loud). So I'm getting used to not having silence.

 

[Xeilo]

Silence can be good at times but most of the time I like to have something on in the background, either TV, movie or music is always good.

 

[laserlight]

Theres noise here all the time cuz the tv and video games and music and everything. i always go to sleep hearing tv or music and if theres no noises i put the plugs in my ears and sleep with my media player on! =)

 

[Tucker]

Dead silence night after night might be something like a sensory deprivation tank for a mind as active in the wee hours as mine. When I was little my old-fashioned parents would put me to bed shortly after supper (per the Colonial-era custom, I guess) and make me just lie there - sometimes for hours - until I finally fell asleep. Nowadays my habit is to have some quiet droning of whatever kind going on when possible.

 

[stripes]

I'm different in different situations. In the lounge, when I'm using my laptop, I like both silence and low-level television noise. I don't have to care what I'm watching if I want the TV on, I just like the sound. In the car, I always want my music on, usually at quite a high level, so that it's as loud as it can be within my car, without people hearing it as they walk past.
At night, we have the TV on. This is something I'd ocasionally do before I started sharing a room, but I usually slept in complete silence or put something like Magic FM on to listen to peaceful songs as I'd drift off. My boyfriend watches DVDs, with the TV in sleep mode so that it switches off an hour after we've fallen asleep. At work, I used to love background music. Now, I don't like it. I have to write 7000 words a day, and over recent months I've found myself more and more distracted by music.

 

[EllyDicious]

The only time when I desperately need silence background is when I sleep. I can't stand any sound around me, even the sound of breathing [let alone snoring or TV noises..or even people talking].
The problem I've been having lately is the fact that my cousin [who lives upstairs] turns up the music volume, around midnight and I have to call her and ask her to turn off the music at all. I get really mad because I want absolute silence.

Other than that, I don't mind noises during other moments of the day.

 

[BrinkOfExistence]

I can't stand silence at night time, there needs to be some sort of noise whether it's the boiler or the fridge running or noises from outside, as long as there not too loud. I don't know about during day because i've never experienced silence at that time.

 

[Kibi]

I need some sort of noise. I normally have a fan or I leave my laptop on to whir at me!