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
  • I like quiet when I can hear nature. I don't understand people walking in places where this is possible with headphones. However when I am at home, especially at night I sometimes like music in the background, because otherwise I hear hums, creaks etc. for which I am then trying to trace the source. 

  • This is me too! Even in nature, it's so hard not to hear roads. I was watching the winterwatch cameras today and could hear the cars on the road. 

    The house is so noisy, the light above the oven is so loud, I always breathe a sigh of relief when I turn it off. We have a noisy filter on the fish tank too, though sometimes I can sit by it and close my eyes. Quiet would be bliss!

Reply
  • This is me too! Even in nature, it's so hard not to hear roads. I was watching the winterwatch cameras today and could hear the cars on the road. 

    The house is so noisy, the light above the oven is so loud, I always breathe a sigh of relief when I turn it off. We have a noisy filter on the fish tank too, though sometimes I can sit by it and close my eyes. Quiet would be bliss!

Children
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