Recently, I have been listening to ambient noise in an effort to boost my productivity. It's extremely difficult to study with music that has spoken words in it but having nothing to listen to can be equally as distracting. After doing some quick research on the subject, and testing out numerous sources of ambient noise makers, I have come to the conclusion that these really work.

Ambient noise can be calming and can put you in the zone to get work done. It all depends on what you are listening to. Three common types of noise that have an association with color are white noise, pink noise, and brown noise. White noise sounds the hissiest of the three. Our ears mainly hear higher frequencies more clearly than lower ones, that is why white noise sounds the loudest in the higher frequencies. A cool similarity between "noise" and light is that both can be described with colors. White noise is "white" because it is a combination of al the frequencies. Pink noise takes in account of the differences of frequencies and raises the lower frequencies volume while decreasing the higher ones. In a graph pink noise has a linear decay of volume as the frequency goes up. Brown noise has this same decay but completely eliminates some of the highest frequencies, making it sound the deepest of the three.

Both white and pink noise can help with memory, concentration, productivity, and even sleep. Brown noise sounds like a large rushing waterfall which can be very relaxing and it goes great after a long day. For those who struggle to fall asleep at night, I highly recommend testing out brown noise to see if it can help. And for current or future parents out there, it could be a good experiment to play some brown or pink noise in a baby's room to encourage restful nights.

Other sounds that can be relaxing or invigorating include rain, thunder, the crackling of wood on a fire, the wind, rustling leaves, rushing water, the crashing of waves, crickets in the night, the diegetic sounds from a coffee shop, and much much more. What I find really interesting is that some websites online allow multiple sounds to be played at once, creating a unique listening experience that can be adjusted and played with until the desired sound or mood is created.

Next time you need to focus on a task, try checking out some of these ambient sounds (linked above) and see if they make you more productive.