I wouldn't say weird. You can enjoy your music however you want.

Personally i wouldn't be able to do it, having ADHD and sitting still doesn't really go together.

I thought that's exactly what we pretentious audiophiles do.

Does vaping weed count as "doing something else"?

I “metaltate” several times a week. Dark room, closed eyes, focus on breathing, and headphones with black metal.

One of my earliest memories of listening to music was in exactly this style.

Our family inherited a mobile trailer that was parked in our front yard for a while. I was a young kid and would use the trailer as “my house”.

I distinctly remember plopping down a boombox on the “kitchen table”, which was just a fold out table with a chair on either side.

I popped in Dr. Dre’s Da Chronic into the cassette deck of the boombox and hit play. Listening to the whole album while sitting on the chair.

Fun times. Stop worrying about how other people consume entertainment and just do what feels good to you.

I think everyone should try to only listen, at least sometimes. We've been trained to need input constantly and we're not built for it. People can't just watch TV any more either, need more screens!

...you've made me realise I actually havent done this in so long

No I do this also

As many others have already said, you are definitely not weird for it. If thats what you enjoy, don't let others take it from you just because they might consider it weird.

For me personally, I do both. Sometimes I listen to background music while doing other things. As someone said above, its like elevator music. However, for me it improves the mood for some tasks.
On the other hand, I sit down maybe three times a week just for listening to music. I fully follow the emotions and story of a song or album.
The music is quite different between these two modes. For the background music I just need some good tunes. When listening fully, the song must have a text I like or be a really good instrumental song. Then I also need the right song and order of songs depending on mood. Mostly it's a curated list from which i select song by song. If I hear a great song in background listening I add it to the list. Later I listen to a more songs of the album or artist with full attention and add the ones I enjoy to my list. Funnily there are songs which then have so much meaning for me, I cannot listen to them in background anymore. Either I skip them or i put my full attention to them.

For me listening to music and dancing are a joint experience. Setting still while listening feels offensive somehow. My body just kinda moves on is own.

Sometimes but never in headphones. In the living room right in the stereo spot on the couch. Mostly I listen and do, but sometimes just listen.

I do, but not with headphones. If it's headphones, it's second to something else. If the activity is specifically listening to music, I'm doing it on the good speakers.

That’s not weird at all. It’s very enjoyable.

Doing something as in having a coffee or not doing anything at all ? I'll have a coffee or a drink and listen, at most eat a light meal.

I'm weird in that I can't listen to music and do something else because I can't.. listen I mean, it's just noise in the background, like elevator music, so why bother? and listening while running, walking or cycling is beyond me as there's so much going on and you need so much situational awareness when engaged in those avtivities.

reading this thread made me realize why music visualizers were so popular

Both actually. BUT the type of music I listen to changes drastically depending on my activity.

Thanks for the replies, all. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who does this! I find it very therapeutic, and I enjoy being able to really focus on the lyrics and the music itself. My high school band teacher taught us that music is not a spectator sport - if you're only hearing sounds, you're missing out on half the experience. :)

Both. The distinction being when working I listen to albums or a stream, when listening only, it's by the song.

I quite rarely listen to music but sometimes I just want to hear one or two songs and then I often just sit and listen.

I do the same, but with my turntable

depends. I have music on like 90% of the time. Sometimes I like to put headphones or quality speakers on and close my eyes and really pay attention to the music. Otherwise it's daily activities or kareoke

I can't, because of adhd. If I want to listen to a whole album I put it on headphones and go for a walk.

I do this sometimes, especially when I am stressed out and just need time to relax and forget everything for a while by immersing myself in whatever I'm listening to. Same with just sitting on public transport. Sometimes, I just stare out the window, and everything I hear is just sound because I'm just in the moment. I'd otherwise be on my phone like everyone else.

No, you're not weird.

I do it sometimes, but mainly for music I really enjoy or have a keen interest in. Technically I also did it for a music competition a few months ago but that probably doesn't count...

There is research on this btw! I had to dig a bit, but this is a 2011 research article (might be paywalled, I can try & help if anyone is really interested in) on why people (psych undergrads, but still) listen to music. They identified 6 mostly independent factors, one of which ("personal identity") may be more linked to ppl listening just for enjoyment; one of their experiments showed that 75.66% of participants listen to music as "background noise". So music as primary activity is probably relatively uncommon (but not non-existent). Funnily enough I rarely use music as background distraction these days

I do both but I'm usually doing something because of ADHD. Sometimes it's something mindless. My favorite time to listen to music is while walking around the city

I can't. Music just doesn't interact with enough senses to be a standalone activity for me.

My brother though, could spend the whole day doing nothing but listening to music.

All the time. Its wonderful.

Have to do something else. I mostly listen to new albums when doing cardio at the gym, or when playing multiplayer vidya.

I need something to engage my hands and eyes. If I want to just sit and listen to music, or an audiobook, or podcast I usually play Tetris. It's a really low engagement task that keeps me from zoning out. Starting to get tired it though so I'm open to recommendations for similar games.

edit: typos

People experience music differently. If I'm going to listen to music, I have to sit there and actively listen to it. If music is playing when I'm trying to work on something, I have to turn it off, it's too distracting.

If I'm just a passenger in a vehicle, I don't mind sitting back and just listening to music. Otherwise, I'm so used to doing something else while listening that it feels kinda weird to not have it as background when I'm working, when appropriate.

I do it. I miss having linear, defined "playlists" we used to call listening to an album. So, duh, you can still do it. I play curated playlists when I'm driving. If something catches my attention, I go to that song's album (please don't be a single, please don't be a single). If the album plays through well, I'll probably give it a go at home.

Granted, sitting still is not my strong suit, so it's not all that common. Video games are my main TV/couch thing if solo. I always have some other chore or project nagging me. But damn, is it relaxing to lightly hit a thc vape and play deadmau5

I think it's not as common as it used to be. Now there are endless forms of distractions through small screens, and I think most use music as background entertainment while doing something else.
I can listen to music while doing other things, but I prefer to actually listen while not distracted so I can fully take in the phonics and arrangements. Otherwise it's merely hearing and not listening. I find that this distinction is more common with musically inclined people.

Very rarely do I just listen to music, typically only when I'm driving.

I have an over-active imagination and music stimulates it. There’s almost no time in which I’m listening to music and not imagining some emotion-stirring scenario in my head.

I like to take my Bluetooth speaker outside and lounge in the hammock while I build playlists.

Most people I know that enjoy music do it this way. Taking time to just relax, listen to music, maybe have a drink along with it.

I can't sit and listen to music like that for long periods of time (like, maybe 2 songs), but I always figured I was the weird one for it.

You're perfectly fine. Do what makes you happy and enjoy music however you want!

If its on a bus or train I like to ponder while listening to music. I should probably be doing something better with my time, but I like it.

I dance and/or sing while listening to music because I'm not dead. 👍