Do subtitles help you concentrate more or not?

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I think I got this idiosyncrasy due to video games having text mostly, and even those with speech embedded could very easily (or even by default) have subtitles turned on. Now I can't watch any movies without them - also because I don't want to miss a single word (it can make the difference between understanding the plot or not!)

But... I noticed recently that subtitles may have another effect: getting me more 'in the zone'; e.g., when I watched some French animation with English subtitles I was completely 'there'... this is, I think, an added bonus to having just subtitles on even though they're speaking the same language.

(Besides, I think most people would agree that anime 'sounds' awkward dubbed - I think this is the same effect, as people usually watch anime in Japanese subtitled.)

Yes I often turn the subtitles on even though my hearing is perfectly fine. Subtitles make it easier to follow the plot of the movie since you remember what was said better.

A lot of people think subtitles are only for the hearing impaired, or for when the audio is muted like at a gym for example.

Another good use for subtitles is so you can watch something on fast-forward, but still understand exactly what is being said. I usually watch the boring "special features" included with movies at 1.5x speed with subtitles on.

Wow, so agree with this. I generally watch movies, but tend to pay attention to detail (e.g. background lighting, etc.) that doesn't pertain to what's being said. Because of that, I need to look at subtitles to really understand what is being said as I will find other things more important if there aren't any. NO clue why, but I do memorize items better by visual (writing) rather than auditory, hence why I could read a text book before an exam and never go to class once, but still ace the test.

I always turn the subtitles on, due to my CAPD, and I'm always annoyed whenever a DVD doesn't have them.

They help me figure out what's going on in a Coen Brothers film, that's for sure.

Subtitles make me pay more attention to what is being said and less attention to the visuals. Since films are a visual medium, this can be very annoying if the subtitles are in the same language as the audio.

What sucks even more is that alot of the intended sound quality is lost without speakers.

I much prefer to watch films with subtitles. It's because I find it difficult to understand spoken language unless I really focus on it. I can manage without them but I struggle to follow it and have to replay sentences a lot. I often have to ask people to repeat what they said in person also. Some seem to get annoyed about it. Sometimes I'll realise what they said after a delay of a few seconds. People often used to think that something was wrong with my hearing, but it's excellent, I often noticed noises like a phone ringing that other people didn't. I also can never make out what song lyrics are.

They're good to have around when someone in the movie says something you didn't catch or understand.

Glad I'm not the only one watching with subtitles (My family thinks I'm goofy for doing it).

This.
One thing that confuses me is, People I know have the volume up really loudly because, "I sometimes can't hear what they are saying properly", but when I recommend subtitles they say they hate them because they get distracted.

I find them quite distracting and annoying. BUT I've never attempted turning them on during the type of movie that I am likely to get confused in (due to missing chunks of dialogue or particular "jargon-filled" sentences). I shall try that and see if it helps.

I almost always use them as I sometimes have problems keeping up with listening to dialogue.

The only time I don't mind subtitles is when I'm watching a foreign film or TV show. Other than that, they drive me up the wall.

Depends on how dialog heavy or how important the dialog is to the movie.

It's basically a must for anything British or Australian (helps me understand the accents and slang better without having to rewind)

I wish more concert DVD's had subtitles of the lyrics as a feature.

it used to disturb me, but now I do like it as a backup. definitely required when watching a foreign language movie.