Why do some people dislike quiet so much?

I was reading Marriannes thread about hospitalwaiting rooms and how uncomfortable and noisy they are and though why do some people get so freaked out by silence? Or even just by there being no noise producer like radio or tv? I've met so many people who the first thing they do when they walk into a room is turn on the tv or a radio, as the person who's either turned them all off or never put them on, why are their needs for noise so much more important than my preference and sometimes need for there to be as little as possible?

I keep getting told that I should get noise cancelling headphones, but I've been told that they cancel every noise but that of the human voice, but what if I dont' want to hear next doors kids screaming or the innane chatter of DJ's and tv presenters?

I often wonder if the people who need to have background noise all the time are actually afraid they might have to listen to themselves for once and would their heads explode if they did? Many peoples heads nearly explode when I tell them I'd go on silent retreats and be with other people and none of us talking, the only people who really envied me were those with small children who's constsnt chatter made them unable to finish a thought from one end to the other without interuption.

Parents
  • Silence is a double edged sword with me. On one hand I can find some comfort in it. Just being sat alone in silence with vague background noise settles me and allows me to think straight/gather my thoughts. But then it also depends on what my thoughts are and where my mind drifts during those quiet times. It can send me to a pretty dark place sometimes.

    Really busy confined spaces with lots of background noise sends my head into a spin. Especially when it involves loads of talking between different people. It ends up one massive hurricane of confusion in my head. Or the times where I might be caught in a space where a few friends are talking among eachother. Its usually harmless, superficial stuff and they are laughing and joking with eachother, but it makes me squirm and pray for the silence again

  • I love silence, or rather the absense of tv's radios, human voices etc, I like the sounds of nature, one of my favourite silences is on a really frosty night in the countryside and all you can see are stars and it's so cold theres an almost ringing sound like the afternote of a bell, but often others can't hear it.

Reply
  • I love silence, or rather the absense of tv's radios, human voices etc, I like the sounds of nature, one of my favourite silences is on a really frosty night in the countryside and all you can see are stars and it's so cold theres an almost ringing sound like the afternote of a bell, but often others can't hear it.

Children
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