Choosing the proper background noise can significantly impact your concentration and overall productivity. This can depend on various factors, such as personal and situational preferences and when sounds distract from work.
When sound is present, your brain listens for recognizable patterns to amplify and call your attention to. This explains why you may find office chatter more distracting than a humming printer.
Music
Research suggests that calming music can increase concentration. Classical music like Mozart, for example, has been shown to improve brain activity and boost performance on cognitive tasks and creative projects. Ambient noise, on the other hand, can be a distraction depending on the type of music and volume. Loud crescendos and lyrical music can distract you from working effectively, while low, generic sounds help people focus.
One 2021 study found that listening to comprehensible background noise boosted memory performance but not other tasks. This is likely because the same mental processes that help us remember things also process background music.
However, it’s important to note that the effects of music and noise in the background are highly individualistic. Some people don’t experience any benefits, and others can be harmed. It’s also unclear how long the benefits last, and the impact can vary between different types of sound. Experimenting with various sounds is essential until you find the right one.
Also read: Top 5 Free Music Download Apps
Human Voice
The human voice is a highly complex sound with numerous frequencies, each with different strengths. Because of this, it can be challenging to concentrate when surrounded by people talking. This is because your brain constantly listens for recognizable sound patterns and focuses on them, which can interfere with learning, working, and other tasks.
Moreover, your brain has limited “conversation bandwidth.” Every noise you hear takes up a portion of your conversation bandwidth, leaving less room for listening to your internal thoughts. This makes it hard to articulate your ideas and get work done.
Moreover, your mood can be affected by the type of noise you’re exposed to. For example, some people feel more creative when listening to ambient noises like birds chirping or rain falling on a roof, while others find these sounds stressful and distracting. For this reason, choosing the right type of noise for your personal needs is essential.
Ambient Noise
Whether ambient noises such as the hum of an office or the surf crash on the beach help or distract people depends on their personality and the nature of the sound. For instance, introverts tend to be unable to concentrate while music or other background noise is playing. This is probably because they feel pressured and annoyed by the distractions, which expend psychological resources.
Other people, however, can perform better on specific tasks if some ambient noise is present. These benefits may be because noise causes a higher level of arousal than if it were silence.
Ambient noise differs from white noise in that it’s random and varies in intensity, volume, and frequency. Humans can usually identify the source of the ambient noise, whereas white noise doesn’t. This difference allows the ambient sound to mask music but not white noise. As such, it doesn’t interfere with your ability to focus and stay on task as much as other background noise.
Also read: What Makes Earbuds Comfortable?
Nature Sounds
Listening to music, voice, or ambient noise takes up much of your mental bandwidth that is otherwise needed for concentration. This can increase stress levels and decrease higher brain functions such as memory and learning.
Nature sounds such as birdsong and the sound of running water have been shown to reduce arousal, increase parasympathetic nervous activity, and improve overall well-being. This is probably because these sounds evoke a specific experience you can recall, making them more beneficial than just any random background noise.
While this is true, it’s also important to note that the benefits of background noise may only occur when the sounds are novel. Once they become familiar, they will not have the same impact. This is why using different ambient noise sources is essential, as each one will uniquely affect the listener.
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