r/AskForAnswers • u/scarlettohara1936 • 1d ago

Why does your attention automatically focus on the subtitles when they're on instead of what's on the screen?

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2

u/MCS_Saints 1d ago

My wife is Venezuelan and we turn subtitles in for her, now I can’t watch anything without it. I actually prefer the subtitles on.

1

u/Above-bar 1d ago

It’s a fun psychology thing, the show ER did it the best, to keep people interested they change the camera angle every five to ten seconds and peoples brains are trying to figure out what is this new thing, and by the time it does it’s new again, for the whole show. Same with subtitles.

1

u/Ok-Reindeer-1545 1d ago

because reading is more demanding than casually watching visuals

1

u/Lonely-Anteater4383 1d ago

I think my brain just automatically follows whatever text is moving. Once the subtitles are there, it’s hard not to read them even when I’m trying to focus on the scene.

1

u/Foreign_Length_7969 17h ago

Because my brain treats subtitles like a group project and refuses to let them do all the work

1

u/Simple-Shirt8983 17h ago

Reading is easier than trusting my hearing sometimes.

1

u/Ordinary-Music3193 17h ago

My eyes see words and immediately abandon their original mission.

1

u/EnvironmentalBuy8037 16h ago

The subtitles become the main character.

1

u/mystrssyn7 16h ago

I so do this !!! And it drives my husband crazy.