<p>If we include television and video entertainment broadly, which is perfectly reasonable to do, then <strong>the premise of the question is dubious if not demonstrably false</strong>. Of course people's preferences and emotional engagement with different media vary widely by any number of factors. But at a general level <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2964424/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">as of 2007</a>, the average US resident reported spending almost 50% more of their time watching movies and television then listening to music or radio (38 versus 18 hours per week). In the age of TikTok, I cannot imagine that gap has been reduced. Anecdotally, I've not seen people compulsively binging on apps like Spotify the way they do with video streaming.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-15T11:46:39.733Z
2024-08-15T11:46:39.733Z
Brian Z
<p>You guessed it.</p>
<p>Listening to music is a passive activity. It causes no mental burden or stimuli to your thoughts. It is just allowing sound frequencies manipulate your brain and evoke whatever feelings they do in your mind. Whereas for watching movies, you need focus, to follow the story, and make sure you don't miss details. Human characters are involved, evoking love, happiness, disappointment, anger, stress, uncertainty, jealousy, envy, et; a huge emotional and mental burden. Very different from the relax &quot;la-la land&quot; world of music.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-27T05:26:35.270Z
Idk, music can be pretty heavy on emotions invoked sometimes
Cestarian
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-26T17:43:16.033Z
2020-06-26T17:43:16.033Z
infatuated
<p>From my personal experience and from the (anecdotal) evidence it seems like music is way more addictive (for the lack of a better word) than film (movies).</p>
<p>For instance, when a new record from my favorite singer or band is released, I can listen to it a few times a day for several days or maybe even weeks. And then the frequency slowly tapers off, but I can still listen to it every week or month for many many years.
For film it is completely different story. Even the movies that I consider absolute masterpieces, I would rewatch it maybe once every 6 months / year.</p>
<p>Why is it the case? Is it because visual media is more... intense, rich, contains more &quot;meaning&quot; per unit of display?</p>
<p>But even if that's the case, I would doubt it would explain such dramatic difference in watching / listening frequencies - once per 6 months and hundreds of times.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-26T07:48:37.697Z
Welcome. Isn't this comparing apples and oranges? Movies easily last 90-120 minutes, songs a few minutes. Music can be listened to while doing something else. Movies require full attention.
AliceD
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-26T09:47:59.840Z
@AliceD I rather meant full records which is in average about 75 minutes (some over 100 minutes), I would say. But my observation regarding frequencies still stands. Did you notice the same phenomenon yourself? But do you think the reason for this is that watching a movie requires more attention => more effort?
ruslaniv
<music>
Why is music more addictive than film?
ruslaniv
# Why is music more addictive than film?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-06-26)

From my personal experience and from the (anecdotal) evidence it seems like music is way more addictive (for the lack of a better word) than film (movies).

For instance, when a new record from my favorite singer or band is released, I can listen to it a few times a day for several days or maybe even weeks. And then the frequency slowly tapers off, but I can still listen to it every week or month for many many years.
For film it is completely different story. Even the movies that I consider absolute masterpieces, I would rewatch it maybe once every 6 months / year.

Why is it the case? Is it because visual media is more... intense, rich, contains more "meaning" per unit of display?

But even if that's the case, I would doubt it would explain such dramatic difference in watching / listening frequencies - once per 6 months and hundreds of times.

**Tags:** music

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome. Isn't this comparing apples and oranges? Movies easily last 90-120 minutes, songs a few minutes. Music can be listened to while doing something else. Movies require full attention.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 I rather meant full records which is in average about 75 minutes (some over 100 minutes), I would say. But my observation regarding frequencies still stands. Did you notice the same phenomenon yourself? But do you think the reason for this is that watching a movie requires more attention => more effort?  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-08-15. Score: 1

If we include television and video entertainment broadly, which is perfectly reasonable to do, then **the premise of the question is dubious if not demonstrably false**. Of course people's preferences and emotional engagement with different media vary widely by any number of factors. But at a general level [as of 2007](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2964424/), the average US resident reported spending almost 50% more of their time watching movies and television then listening to music or radio (38 versus 18 hours per week). In the age of TikTok, I cannot imagine that gap has been reduced. Anecdotally, I've not seen people compulsively binging on apps like Spotify the way they do with video streaming.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2020-06-26. Score: 1

You guessed it.

Listening to music is a passive activity. It causes no mental burden or stimuli to your thoughts. It is just allowing sound frequencies manipulate your brain and evoke whatever feelings they do in your mind. Whereas for watching movies, you need focus, to follow the story, and make sure you don't miss details. Human characters are involved, evoking love, happiness, disappointment, anger, stress, uncertainty, jealousy, envy, et; a huge emotional and mental burden. Very different from the relax "la-la land" world of music.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Idk, music can be pretty heavy on emotions invoked sometimes  

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