Have you ever wondered why authors are often depicted writing in busy coffee shops instead of in the quiet of their own home? Or why artists like to paint outdoors where the breeze and the sound of mother nature seemingly infiltrates their creative zone? Well, according to a paper published by the Journal of Consumer Research, the ideal work environment entails a little bit of background noise.
In the study, a team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign lead by Ravi Mehta separated their volunteers into four groups and asked each to complete a Remote Associates Test, which often used to test creative thinking. Each group was asked to work in differing levels of volume: 50 decibels, 70 decibels, 85 decibels and complete silence. Researchers found that the participants that had been working in an environment with 70 decibels of background noise performed significantly better than their counterparts. The author of the study states that: “getting into a relatively noisy environment may trigger the brain to think abstractly, and thus generate creative ideas.”
To ensure you get the most out of your time spent working, here are five background noise resources you can use to boost your creativity and productivity!
1. Coffitivity
Inspired by the idea that background noise can boost productivity, Justin Kaulzer created Coffitivity – an online site that is also available as app. If you find the ambience of a coffee shop or the bustle of a college library a comforting, familiar, productivity booster then turn on some of Coffitivity’s looping soundtracks.
2. Raining FM
If you want to keep your background noise as simple as possible then why not listen to the most calming noise available: rain. Whether you prefer the beats of light drizzle against a window pane, or a full thunder storm gets your creative juices flowing, you can choose your perfect, rainy weather with Raining.fm.
3. 99U Music
Catalogued using different themes, these playlists provide new music for those of you who are tired of your Spotify or iTunes playlists. Simply pick a genre that’s bound to get you going and get your work done in no time.
4. Ambient-Mixer
If you’re favourite background noise is traditional white noise, then you may want to try Ambient Mixer out. Not only can you listen to various loops of white noise, you can also combine them with other tracks, adjust volumes and even share your productivity boosting mixes with others.
5. Noisli
Speaking of mixing your own sounds, our last background noise provider Noisli allows you to mix the sounds of the outdoors, coffee shops, the sea, storms and many more noisy locations to help you focus on your work!
Featured photo credit: gratisography via gratisography.com
