Discovered watching shows with captions on actually helps me focus better

For years I'd start a show, get distracted by my phone, and have to rewind like 10 times per episode. Tried putting captions on for The Bear last week and suddenly I wasn't looking at my phone at all. Something about reading the words keeps my brain locked in. Has anyone else found this works for them or is it just a weird quirk?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_park81mo ago

Did you catch that study about captioning and ADHD? I read somewhere that the combination of reading and hearing helps people with attention issues stay engaged. Pretty sure that's why I can actually finish a Netflix movie now without checking my fantasy lineup.

white.alex1mo ago

Wait, you're saying that reading AND hearing at the SAME TIME is what helps you focus? That sounds totally backwards to me. I turn captions OFF because I can't handle my eyes and ears fighting for attention.

wren8262d ago

Man, I had a buddy from college who swore up and down that captions helped him focus on the news. He'd always be like "I can't hear the TV without seeing the words" and it drove me crazy until I realized @sean_park8 might be onto something with that study. Turns out my friend found that reading along with the audio stopped his brain from wandering off to check his fantasy baseball scores every two minutes. I still turn captions off for most shows because it feels like my eyes are trying to do the talking for my ears, so I get where you're coming from. Different brains just need different tricks to stay on track, I guess.