My husband ALWAYS needs the TV on in the background. He comes home, it goes on. It’s on during dinner. Often he is not paying the slightest attention to whatever is on, it’s just for the noise.
We have guests coming round and he has just turned on the news to have in the background.
To me this seems absurd but I wonder how many background TV people are out there?
31 comments
No, never. It’s only on if we’re sat down watching it.
No, and especially not during dinner
Yep, I’m one of them. TV is always on when I’m at home. Often the news as well.
I detest background TV! Unfortunately my SO has it on all the time. Source of much friction!
EDIT – they do not have tinitus or any other ear condition.
They pay marginal and fragmented attention, if any, to what is on, but occasionally “wind it back” if something gets their attention. Or “pause” it and then restart it.
No – partly because we only have a TV in the living room and for various reasons we tend to stay in the kitchen in the evening and listen to music.
We are a Radio 4/4 Extra house. Goes on when I get up and is on in the background all day long. I find it less intrusive than the TV. It still provides sound and company, perhaps you could suggest this as an alternative?
Yes – I have tinnitus 🙁
I think some people find it difficult to live in a quiet environment, and need some sort of background noise to mitigate this, whether it be having a television on or some form of music. Why? It’s a moot point.
As for me I haven’t had a TV for years. I watch the news either via a laptop or tablet. This stems from visiting family and friends and seeing how addicted people are to watching TV especially during the daytime. I would rather be doing something less passive like a hobby or going outside.
I was brought up with background radio, but TV is far more intrusive. I do tend to put music on (streaming on a TV with a Chromecast slideshow displayed) over family meals for the benefit of the misophonia-sufferer (but I’m also a background music person really). And, my wife observes caustically, I do all the selecting and never ask anybody else if they want it.
The bizarre thing is that I sometimes pick and choose a film, then keep it on a low volume.
Yes. I generally like to have sports or a sitcom that I’ve seen before playing in the background while I work, clean, cook, read or whatever else.
I have to have either the tv or music on in the background. I hate silence.
My husband has to have the tv on/radio etc on all day every day. When he’s at work, I sit without any background noise and I love it!
My husband does the same, he leaves them turned on in every room he walks through too. It drives me insane.
Ugh no, I hate that. Turn it off unless we’re watching it.
I personally hate background TV- I find it so hard to talk to people if the TV is on, I’m much more a background podcast/ music person so only one of my senses is distracted.
I find it helps that I have a 1 year old so we try to reduce her exposure to TV as much as possible.
I’m a background noise person but because we didn’t have a tv when I was a child, it’s background radio for me. Radio being loosely defined these days to include music, podcasts and audiobooks.
It’s rude. You’re basically saying “I need a distraction from your company”
Definitely not, how annoying (for me, personally).
Oh god no. I find it too distracting. If people are coming round to visit then I never have the TV on, unless it’s to watch something specific.
When I visit other people’s homes and they have the TV on “in the background” I find it far too much of a distraction and I struggle to focus on conversations, etc.
Absolutely not, can’t stand it. I enjoy watching TV from time to time but only if I am sitting down and concentrating on the programme. Never in the background. I’d find it really irritating if I went over to someone’s house and they had it on while we were eating dinner and/or trying to talk.
My mum does this. It drives me mad… no, I didn’t just drive 7 hours listen to the bloomin’ Chase.
My family all need constant background noise, whereas never getting any quiet at all drives me absolutely out of my skull. Unfortunately that’s how they describe having no sound on, so I lose out. You would hope I’d get some consideration for needing some time alone away from the noise, but I get told I’m disrespectful and horrible if I don’t hang out in the common spaces or use earbuds when they’re not exactly talking to me, but they might want to talk to me any second, so it’s rude if I don’t hear them.
I’ve taken to pretending to sleep for eleven hours a night just so I get a couple hours of as near quiet as I can manage. 🙁
Urgh, my ex was like this. Always had the tv on if he was home. It annoyed me so much that now I live on my own, I don’t even have a tv.
Absolutely. I hate silence. Something always has to be on the TV even when going to sleep, definitely a comfort thing
Oh boy, this sounds like hell on Earth.
If the TV is good then it should have 100% of your attention.
If it’s not that good, why is it on at all?
I can’t stand background TV, because I can’t not start watching it. I don’t even like sitting in a pub with a TV screen on, even if it’s on silently.
On the other hand I have background music for nearly everything I do (sometimes more background than others lol), and I know some people that hate that, so swings and roundabouts I guess!
My dad was like this, he had a 6th sense for it being turned off. He would just appear from another room, turn it back on and then leave again. It used to drive us mad but we’d all laugh about it. Now he’s gone it’s one of those little things he did that I really miss and think about a lot.
No, it irritates the shit out of me.
If I ever went to prison for murder, it would be because of background TV. It’s fine if you’re doing some light housework and want some noise, although I prefer music. But having background TV during family dinner or while guests are visiting is a capital sin in my eye.