I Don’t Listen to Music Anymore
This might be my most controversial hobby, or at least my most controversial “non-hobby.”
I don’t listen to music.
I commonly get asked whether I listen to music when I run — I do not. It actually makes running less enjoyable to have music when I run because I’m not as in tune to how I feel and my thoughts. If I’m on a treadmill, I choose podcasts instead of music if I’m being honest.
It’s not like I hate music. I have favorite bands and singers. I love The Killers, and I was a big fan of Nas back in the day. As a child, I loved Linkin Park. I’ll listen to Christian worship music or rap if it’s on the radio, as well as the latest Bruno Mars hit if it’s there. I’ll listen to K-pop with my girlfriend when we do listen to music. And there is emotion evoked when I do listen.
But I don’t seek out music. Three years ago, it wasn’t the same trend. I have a pretty short attention span and don’t seek out new music anymore.
According to Divya Abhat at The Atlantic, there is a large proportion of people who experience “musical anhedonia,” which makes listening to music boring and distracting. And 3 to 5 percent of the whole world is entirely apathetic towards music and unable to feel any pleasure towards it.
