How can people with ADHD possibly enjoy movies if they daydream and can't focus on the movie?
In order to watch a film, you have to actually pay attention.
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Really bad ADHD with an super ability to hyper focus I love movies, and books. I could literally read a book I like in one sitting nite the code I'm working on right now is boring so I'm having a crazy difficult time working on it.
A good movie will keep your attention.
Also watching it in the movie theatre where second screening is a social faux pas helps
Is "second screening" a name for people bringing bright screens into the theatre? Like, so they can watch tiktoks and disturb everyone else? Is everyone so ridiculously inconsiderate that they can't even go to the movies anymore?
I sense if I still went to the theatre after covid that I'd quickly hate something new about it.
“Second screening” is just when you’re doing something on one screen, (watching YouTube, playing a game, etc), and you’re also doing something on another screen at the same time, (browsing Lemmy, watching a move, etc)
You should do some real research on this.
Your understanding of ADHD is so far off, this question doesn't even make sense for many of us.
Here's the neat thing: I don't. I have to watch movies with the girlfriend next to me to explain things. And I often re-watch things too to catch the things I missed the first or second time around.
On the bright side, if I'm rewatching something I haven't seen in a long time, it's completely new to me again.
Edit: And as others have implied, we are interest-based creatures. If I really like the content, it has my full, undivided attention. Problem is that very few pieces of media meet that criteria, so I'm not watching a lot of movies and shows to begin with.
This is also the reason why we're so messy, because there's no motivation to do boring tasks like chores. I rather die than make my bed.
I can't watch a movie if it's boring.
I can hyperfocus on one that isn't.
Note that boring is a very subjective assessment but yes, interest is key.
It doesn’t always work like that.
I hyperfocus on movies, personally. I literally can’t go to sleep watching them.
When I was younger, and I’d watch movies with a big group of friends, I’d always be the last one to turn it off as the credits roll, and they’re all snoozing away. I'd completely tune out outside conversation and other things going on.
Now… if my brain had some other thing it decided to be preoccupied with, focusing on the movie is a forgone conclusion.
In other words:
I’d say a better way to describe ADHD is not a short attention span, but having more “subconscious” control over its direction.
The reason this is attracting flame is mostly that you've included assertions in your question.
There is no "right" way to experience art, people with ADHD are not a monolith, and ADHD is symptomatically diverse.
I believe the heart of your question, if presented in good faith, is "do people who experience movies differently than I do still enjoy movies?" and the only correct answer is: it depends on the person.
This exact question was asked by user Darth (or was it Vader?) like two or three months ago. Almost exactly word for word. 🤔
Edit: looks like the Vader post was deleted but methinks OP is doing some ragebaiting under a new account.
From one of their 4 posts "Is it possible for someone in America to not know who Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is?".
So I'd say yes.
Or possibly they are 14
One of the posts on this account also brings up age gaps
Subtitles.
Some of us have no trouble focusing on a movie. Personally, I feel like I tend to focus more than most typical people. I will get super engaged and analyze every detail, much to the annoyance of those around me.
I don't have ADHD, but I can tell you that most people with the condition aren't constantly daydreaming. They can watch a film.
I don't know if it was the intent, but this gives me bad vibes. You are implying that they are rude because they have ADHD.
Yeah, having ADHD isn't always about paying attention, sometimes it is about distraction which is completely different than paying attention.
I didn't say they were 'rude.' Them not paying attention to a movie does not affect anyone else. I'm not saying that's 'rude.' I'm saying not paying full attention to a movie, a play, a show, or whatever is a waste of time and no way to watch a film.
Still, your point is that those with ADHD simply cannot watch a film because "they can't pay attention" and that it is a "waste of time" for them doesn't feel right to me.
As somebody who happens to be neurodivergent as well (ASD), I've heard my fair share of similar comments used in a negative connotation.
Well that's exactly why I don't watch a lot of movies. If it isn't the most interesting thing I've ever seen, then I'm not going to be able to pay attention to it no matter how hard I try.
Unfortunately that applies to EVERYTHING in an ADHD person's life. Chores are boring, which is why we're messy. Our brains treat boring tasks as a sentence worse than prison time. Really makes it difficult to hold down a job, and can lead to ADHD people using various drugs to artificially give themselves the dopamine they need to be functional adults. Neurotypical brains have plenty of it, which is why they're able to get shit done without any sort of chemical influence. Dopamine is the motivator, and the ADHD brain is constantly starved of it.
who the fuck are you to judge how someone else can spend their time when it has no impact on anyone else
I think you are reading way more in to their comment than intended.I recommend reevaluating your anger here.
Because a film or television show, regardless of the quality, is to be experienced with full focus. You aren't supposed to wander off or daydream when watching something. You are supposed to take in the characters, dialogue, cinematography, animation, etc., take in the story, and follow it. Escape into that world, not focus on anything else. That's how you watch something.
Again, people with ADHD aren't constantly daydreaming.
You keep emphasising on how you are "supposed" to watch a film, again you are speaking as if people with ADHD aren't doing what they are "supposed" to do.
Adhd is, for many of us, a disability. That means we aren't able to do things the same way that people without disabilities can. You may as well say that deaf or blind people shouldn't enjoy movies either, because they are unable to enjoy the cinematography or audio like "you're supposed to"
That's simply not true. You don't HAVE to sit down and stop everything to enjoy a movie or film.
Grandma knitted through everything and still enjoyed it. So it dodn't have to be seen. The same goes for vision impaired. The same goes for washing the dishes or any task on auto pilot.
I'm also sure the Spanish soap opera where a breakup scene goes for 5 episodes can be walked in and out of without someone coming back in and going "oh damn I'm so lost what's happening." Later seasons of Walking Dead are much the same. So is Big Bang Theory.
What about music? Must an album be listened to in full without doing anything? A radio song played out before turning off the car.
I digress. People can enjoy things in a different way to you my dude.
If you have a nuro spicy friend that won't sit still and watch a movie from start to end with you maybe find something else to do.
But it feels like your not REALLY asking a question here and accepting answer's. You just want to stand on a soapbox and say "THIS IS HOW I ENJOY AN ACTIVITY AND THINK IT IS DONE. YOU MUST DO IT LIKE ME".
I enjoy movies most when your moms is giving me top in the back of the theatre. To each their own, fella.
Watch a movie you're actually interested in.
The movie has to keep my interest. If it’s not interesting to me, I just cannot focus.
So its not as bad since I'm medicated but when I was young I would have to watch a movie uhhh like 6 or 7 times to get the whole thing because I'd either fall asleep or start thinking about something else.
Reading was incredibly aggravating because I'd read a few sentences, eyes scanning the words and all before realizing I was daydreaming, start over, same shizz again 🫠
I already paid $18 for the ticket and $14 for a 10oz drink with 9oz of ice, and now you expect me to pay attention, too?!
That'll be $12 please.
I daydream a lot when I watch film and TV. It's usually about me self-inserting myself into the story. So, while I daydream, I "follow" what's happening on the screen.
I still enjoy the stuff I watch when this happens. Plus, this mainly happens during parts of the film/show I enjoy, like fight scenes or confrontations.
EDIT: Also, I don't have ADHD, so this isn't exclusive to it. You should change your question to be more broad, like:
"People who daydream while watching movies, do you still enjoy what you're watching?"
I haven't watched a movie in ten years. Or TV show. Or a video longer than 15 minutes.
It's just not one of my hyperfixations. It's different for other people, as this thread demonstrates.
watch movies that are not boring?
I have the tendency to start looking into things within the movie. I'll look into what car they are driving, the city they are living in etc. If I don't pause the movie, I will miss a lot while I'm on the quest.
I don't have adhd and that's pretty normal to me. There's so much detail in a (good) movie it would be a disservice not to pick all the details apart.
Back in middle and high school I would get so hyperfocused on novels and read them in a single day. This was well before getting diagnosed and starting meds. Hyperfocus is absolutely a thing.
If a movie is engrossing then I don't get distracted. It might be due to being good, or just interesting, or maybe it is doing a great job of making me anticipate something without giving it away so my mind gets to do some speculation but when well made it pulls me right back into it.
I only lose interest when the plot is obvious and has been done a bunch before or the way they are doing it pulls me out of the movie. Badly done jump scares that are obviously there to be surprising will break my immersion.
Good question
EDIT: Because nobody else has explained it adequately: OP, ADHD is not defined by habits of daydreaming. i.e not all ADHD people have maladaptive daydreams . I personally do, so i answered it as if it was specifically for ADHD people who experience Maladaptive daydreams. Those of us who do will have them in varying frequency or varying control over them. I would say I don't get them a lot but I have triggers for them. For it to happen in a movie someone would have to say something reminding me of trauma anxiety or embarrassment, and I'll be taken back.
So TL;DR
My answer:
I am very discerning as to whether I'll enjoy a film or not. Currently I will only go to the cinema or sit down to watch something in one sitting if I know I'll like it.
Nowadays I have the privilege of getting to put something on from Netflix, then browse my phone - if it's good, I'll put my phone down. If it's bad, I stop the film. No chance for daydreams there.
My sister, I think, introduced me to the idea that you can make jokes about a film while watching, and make people laugh. I loved doing that as a kid. A bit too much. I massively disrupted my middle school film club by talking through most films. Feels bad. But with the right company it's hilarious, it's good for rowdy film watching sessions with your friends. Nowadays I know how to limit myself and do it to a more charming, non-interruptive, frequency.
I don't need snacks for films but I think some people choose snacks on the basis of needing them to actually enjoy and focus on the film/ get into the mood of it.
I don't daydream often when in a task, and movies actually feel like a task. Since watching a movie has dialogue, it feels like being talked to, and that helps not daydream
Movies probably are the daydream to our brain in that moment. They probably help to encourage daydreaming, and by extension, control over daydreaming, among all types of people.
There must be some movies that would see people daydream in, though. Too boring. But as I said earlier I'm super picky about what I'll watch. I stopped watching The Prestige earlier just because the sound mixing was bloody awful.
If there is an actual interest in something then it’s not hard to do, if it’s something you have no interest in then you’re not going to be able to maintain focus.
I can watch, focus on,enjoy, and dissect Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Blade Runner, or Event Horizon because that’s my bag, but Lawrence of Arabia, Citizen Kane, or any sort of biopic can all fuck right off.
ADHD means I am incapable of paying attention to something unless my brain decides I should be paying attention to it. I love watching a very slim collection of movies lol.
If the movie is interesting, I have little problem focusing. But sometimes no matter how interesting it is, I have squirrel moments anyway. If I'm at home, simple, just rewind. Being in a theater helps a lot - the environment helps the brain focus on the screen. If I have a problem paying attention to a movie in a theater, it's probably just not very good.
If I’m home, I knit during movies and take frequent breaks. Yes, I routinely miss chunks of the story because I’m distracted.
I rarely see movies in the theater, precisely because it’s hard to focus. Some movies grab my attention, then I hyper focus and it’s not a problem.
Watch it several times. (Not necessarily in a row) Each time it's like a whole new movie because of all the stuff you didn't notice before.
I half joke there, but until I was in my 40's I never could sit still long enough to watch an entire movie from start to finish. Still enjoyed a lot of them, just in bite size pieces.
I have ADHD and I have trouble even watching really exciting movies. I prefer 45 mins episodes of shows to movies. That being said I have to use a lot of willpower to sit down and force myself to watch them.
Someone asked almost this exact question about a month ago. It was a stupid question then, too.
The sub name isn't "no stupid questions allowed!" it's "no questions are considered stupid here."
TV is my emotional support noise and extra stimulation layer to keep some noisy part of the brain occupied. I can drift in and out of movies while they're on. In the cinemas the thrill of large screen, people around and general rejection of using phone help to steer attention.
I generally don't watch video media for exactly that reason. Even audiobooks are too much for me.