Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
Voices require me to pay attention to them.
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I'll not only second that, I'll point out that it is hard-wired into our species to concentrate on communication (even when it is not directed at us)... and that the spoken word tends to take over conscious concentration, including above the written word, because more of the brain is utilized to speak and understand spoken language than written language.
(You know why most people are annoyed at others' cellphone conversations? Because
they cannot hear the other end of the conversation, and their minds become incredibly distracted trying to fill in the blanks on their own. As Benny Hill used to say, "No' a lo' a people know that!")
I listen to music when I read, but most of it is instrumental jazz. When I hear vocal jazz, or a primarily vocal R&B or rock tune, my reading attention falters, because my mind wants to listen to the lyrics more than it wants to read.