I am a very loud person,  and sometimes it just seems like people find that annoying. Sometimes, I'll just kind of shut up and not really talk during a conversation,  and just listen.  Is it better to do that than talk normally?

In my opinion loud people can be annoying to some people but not to me. I can be loud at times but I'm not a normally loud person. "Sometimes, I'll just kind of shut up and not really talk during a conversation,  and just listen.  Is it better to do that than talk normally?" No it's not, I say be yourself and forget what anybody else thinks. If they don't like it to bad, it's you and you should love you for you. If they don't then they are just missing out.

Honestly, I'm more of a listener than a talker, so for everyday conversations and such, I don't really mind loud people at all. I'd say it's typically better to strike a balance between the two. Don't shut up. You're there to talk, same as anyone else. Just make sure to let other people have some input every once in a while.

Let me put it this way. Sure. But I think most of them dont mean anything nasty by being that way. They are just being themselves.

I have also met some American, Italian and various African people who have thought I am being rude by being quiet and wanting to be on my own. Later they have realized I have just being respecting their space. Things are not always black and white I guess. We just work in different ways.

It depends on the place and how loud you really are. I don't really mind loud people if I'm hanging out with them. However, I find it annoying whenever I hear a loud and unrelated person in a public place specially inside buses or vans (yeah, there are public vans here). It's also considered in our culture here that being loud in a public place means you're not respecting the people around you by not giving them peace of mind and their own spaces. I guess it's fine being a loud person but definitely pick the right place, right persons to be with and the right time, and definitely not do it in churches and libraries or you'll see sharp glares. It's alright to talk though, but always have the decency to check your voice if it's too loud.

Thanks everybody for the opinions.

YES ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE HURTING MY EARS WITH THEIR BOOMING VOICE

In all seriousness, most of the time I don't find loud people annoying unless their loud voice is hurting my ears. I was a very loud person until I got an appointment for my ears and now I can hear how loud I'm talking. I don't enjoy being loud unless I'm commenting on something or I'm joking around, like yelling "WHAT?" when someone mentions something about hearing.

I'd rather have someone screaming something at me than saying it so quietly that I can't/can barely hear it. I don't worry about people that are loud, but I feel concern for people who talk quietly a lot.

However, I have 2 friends that almost always talk quietly, and they seem to have as much confidence as people who talk loud most of the time usually do.

Edit: Sorry for the accidental summon that is now edited out. Now you're going to get 2 notifications for this post instead of one

PacmanandMariofan : Thanks anyway, and don't worry about the double notification.

Now there are two types of loud people.  The ones with hearing problems which I don't mind and the ones that are shouting out curse words every few words and racial slurs.  The latter I have three of them living in the same building as I am and it is irritating!  From what it sounds you are loud because of hearing problems and that doesn't bother me at all.  You should be allowed to talk like anyone else as long as you are not being overly rude.

LCRain : Thanks.

It depends what the loudness is. I have a friend who talks loudly but he's a fun fellow.

However I've met people who have very loud bodily noises - and they don't care about it - or have a shrieking laughter. THAT I can't stand

The only time I think its okay to be loud is at some kind of sporting event where there's tens of thousands of fans screaming. Then, loud people aren't so bad. Otherwise, I do think loud people can become annoying if that's the way they are.

The worst person that's annoying to me because of how loud she is, is my own mother. Don't get me wrong she's the best woman on the planet but she does talk somewhat loudly. Whenever she calls me, I have to turn the volume down all the way on my phone AND hold the phone about a foot away from my face. That woman is LOUD when she talks, and I've been around her my whole life.

Really, I think it depends on the type of "loud" and what is going on at the time. 

For instance, a couple of my friends are (bless them) really, really loud-voiced people. Which I usually don't mind, as they are polite and don't butt in on conversations until it is appropriate to do so. They just have lack of volume-control, and it's not because they can't hear. Believe me, I know. I am deaf in one ear and I still talk quietly. Their 'inside-voices' are just louder than most people's, which is generally fine, unless I am dealing with a headache while we're talking. Then, of course, I ask them to lower the volume; most of the time they will and will pay attention to how loudly they're speaking afterward, so it's not annoying.

Of course, there's also the 'loud and opinionated' kind of loud, which can be annoying if people are not polite. It's fine to soap-box. In fact, many times it's a good thing for people to soap-box, as you might learn something. However, if this comes at the cost of being rude, then it's annoying. The rest of the time, it can range anywhere from enjoyable to tolerated, depending on the subject and the willingness of the 'loud and opinionated' person to debate without getting upset.

Then, of course, there's the third kind. Loud and rude. This is the kind of loud that is always annoying. Loud-voiced, interrupting people, dismissing others' words in favour of spouting their own because they like hearing themselves talk, dismissing people because of their gender and/or race while they're speaking, and just generally being an ass while they talk. This kind of loud is annoying and tends to make people tune you out. Don't be like this.

So, like I said, it depends on the type and the situation, but usually, as long as you're willing to listen and perhaps modulate yourself (and don't fall into the third category), being loud is not annoying. Because you can modulate your voice if  you pay attention or if someone asks you to. That's not being annoying!

Yunimori : I definately would say I'm the first type. I listen more than talk but when I do, I am loud.

SilverHyruler : See, that kind is not bad! You may have a loud inside voice, but you listen! That can make all the difference, and take things from potentially annoying to not at all annoying. It's fine to have a loud voice as long as you don't use it to be overbearing and overpower everyone, like you don't care. So you're fine. :3

Yunimori : Okay good. 

I honestly have to say that loud people are not annoying to me as long as they aren't rude people, though at some points it can be wise to be a little quieter, especially a library!

gamerforlifeforever2 : No need to keep it for such a place. My mom has that bad habit of "parler à tue-tête" (I can't find a good translation for this), so I usually end up plugging the ear towards which she talks so I muffle part of her loud talking.

For the most part, I can tolerate it. Sometimes I find the enthusiasm and vibrancy in their voices appealing. I'm both a listener and a talker. If you give me something back for my conversation efforts, I'll be able to reciprocate. Loud people are often able to do this and allow for some great conversations.

On the other hand, having a bad headache and there being a loud person around is one of my worst nightmares.

I can't believe this many people actually cared! I try to be quiet, but the next thing I know my voice is back to normal.