forman98 t1_jeey4b3 wrote on March 31, 2023 at 2:58 PM

Reply to comment by 0YaKnow in Complete silence by d_brasse

Talking does it for me. I just can't absorb anything if someone is talking to me while the TV also has someone speaking. I can read in a large crowd (like an airport) but if I just hear someone speaking close by or there is a singular TV on that I can hear, then I end up tuning into that.

Klau5_Dieter t1_jefk682 wrote on March 31, 2023 at 5:21 PM

I don't mind when people are talking. That's more of a problem if I'm trying to listen to something while people are talking as I am very bad at filtering out sounds. However, I use a different sense for reading than listening, so reading is no problem.

Also, it helps if I read in German while people around me are chatting in English. It's kind of like an extra cognitive barrier.