Music or silence: which is the best to stay focused?

Here’s what we think: silence can be the best thing to make you work better. For those who are introverted or perform complicated tasks, it can be crucial. In this article, we explain the science behind it and see what instruments you can use to improve concentration.

Noise is bad for you

According to scientists, any background noises affect your productivity.

It is annoying.

The University of Nebraska conducted an experiment [1]. 5 men and 5 women performed various tasks in the laboratory setting. Those tasks included simple math, multiple-choice test, and rewriting of a previously unknown text on aircraft construction — all of that accompanied by noises of various frequencies.

Afterward, the participants had to complete a table to rate their annoyance with noise.

The conclusion? The more annoyed were the participants, the worse results they got. Low humming and high hissing were cited as the most annoying sounds played during the experiment.

In turn, we conducted our own experiment: we talked with several developers, designers, and managers working in offices. As it turned out, the most annoying noise is the chatter of your coworkers: your brain picks out different phrases, analyzes them, and that results in distraction.

https://freesound.org/data/previews/167/167235_2580450-lq.mp3

Office chatter ― you can’t help but hate it.

source: pexels.com

It’s stressful.

A similar experiment was conducted by the psychologists of Cornell University. They wanted to see how office noise affects our stress levels and productivity[2]. They overviewed 40 clerks doing their everyday job: rewriting, creating reports, filling tables with data. They divided participants into two groups: some people were working in silence, others were working with prerecorded office sounds as their background.

At the end of the experiment, all of the participants were tested for two stress hormones: adrenaline and cortisol.

As you could probably guess ― office noise ensured more stress hormones for the participants.

Here’s the thing: stress hormones aren’t always harmful. Sometimes they give you short-term bursts of concentration: one thought of a deadline might get you ‘in the zone,’ where you don’t get distracted and remain entirely focused. However, when we are always at the office, our stress hormones are never going down. This might result in chronic stress, which makes it harder for us to learn[3], remember new things[4], and stay healthy[5].

source: unsplash.com

Stats don’t lie: work in silence is better for introverts

In 2010, another research was conducted by the University College London[6]. The goal was to see how music and background noise affects task performance. Tasks included Raven Matrices, a test to measure abstract thinking, the Wonderlic logic test, and a simple grammar test.

In the process, 118 students were divided into three groups. The first was working in silence, the second had music on, the third had office noise in the background. Everybody took an extroversion — introversion test before the experiment.

Again, the best results were demonstrated by the students working in silence. In the meantime, assigned introverts got the worst ― background noise and music made their test results staggeringly lower. IQ and logic tests were the hardest and the most representative of the effect.

And so, complicated tasks are harder to complete when you are surrounded by noise. Regardless of how you feel about the extravert and introvert categories, those who feature introverted characteristics might be affected the most.

Or do they? You are your best friend, so do as you prefer

It’s not a cutout: some people enjoy working with their favorite music on. Even though there still isn’t enough research on how music improves productivity, sometimes, life is more straightforward ― your favorite tracks affect you positively. Your brain associates certain sounds with activities and emotions. Your code indeed might look better with Mozart in the background. Mockups are doing much better with lo-fi arrangements. Financial statements with Jay-Z on? The world is yours, or so they say.

Let’s go back to our own experiment: we interviewed several office workers, including developers, designers, product managers, and testers. Here are their thoughts on concentration:

Andrei, senior backend developer, prefers silence

“I’m completely focused when everything is silent around me. I can’t do that at the office, so I work with the music on. If I am working from home, then nobody enters the room; it is what it is.”

Alice, product manager, prefers music but it’s not set in stone

“My favorite is definitely an all-nighter with Glass Animals on.

From time to time, I use Endel, and it’s the same as music to me.”

Ilya, designer, prefers lo-fi music

“I’m concentrated the most with some music on, or in silence. My music doesn’t have much going on: it’s minimal lo-fi and stuff.”

Sergio, head of QA, prefers his favorites

“I’m fully concentrated when my favorite tracks are on; sometimes, I even sing along. I tried nature sounds and all that ― not my thing.”

If you prefer silence

You can go to a separate room, reserve a quiet room at the office, or try earplugs. We can’t really help you with reservation times at your building, so let’s talk about earplugs.

Earplugs cannot keep it all the way silent ― that’s because of bone conduction: it allows certain sounds to be transmitted through the bones of our skull. Some sounds will come through even if your ears are plugged.

Remember that you don’t really need absolute silence to focus: you just need to eliminate annoying sounds, which is what earplugs do best.

Here are some earplug options:

1. Custom molded: Doctorhead’s earplugs, average $130 for both mold casting and earplugs

✅Advantages:

• color and form customization;
• good fit;
• later customization for a better fit.

❌Disadvantages:

• need to take them out every time you speak to someone;
• earwax will build up even with regular cleaning;
• price;
• average noise reduction compared to other earplugs (~26 dB).

Overall: These are really good for sleeping; custom mold ensures they don’t distract you when your head is on the side. 26 dB reduction is not ideal; however, it’ll be more than enough for your noisy neighbors.

2. Foam earplugs — Moldex, $12–15 per box (50 pairs)

✅Advantages:

• price;
• good noise reduction (~40 dB).

❌Disadvantages:

• catch dirt quickly, hard to clean up;
• peculiar use ― you need to roll them and put inside the ear while they’re in that ‘cylinder’ shape;
• we think they don’t fit well ― it’s like you have something stuck in your ear;
• need to take them out to talk to someone ― which actually hurts because of the vacuum.

Overall: These plugs don’t stick out, so your sleep will be comfortable. Noise reduction of that level might help if your neighbors threw a late party.

3. Earplugs with noise control: Veer Earplugs, $49

✅Advantages:

• can be kept in the ear during a conversation ― the sound is regulated with a twist of a wheel;
• easy to clean, caps can be replaced;
• good noise reduction (~38 dB);
• they look great. Or so we think!

❌Disadvantages:

• can’t wear them during sleep;
• need to select the right fit and adjust rotation, all in the first use;
• Sometimes they might not fit ― there are 2% of people who cannot wear earplugs of that design due to unusual ear canal structure.

Overall: Good for work and for rest. Veer is especially great if you work in an open space — you can quickly adjust sounds around you for concentration and chatting alike. Noise reduction will remove any regular noise.

If you prefer sounds

There are multiple playlists on streaming that have all the sounds you need to focus on. Here are some popular ones:

1. Apple Music — Swift Concentration
2. Spotify — Deep Focus
3. YouTube ― Study and Concentration Music Playlist

Sound applications are also available: some of them are free, some are subscription-based.

Endel is $25 per year, and it is very customizable. Apps and browser versions are available. You can use it to set up timers and never miss a meeting.

A good free one is noises.online. You can select different sounds, from the coffee shop to a ceiling fan, to rain. You can combine them, it works quickly, it looks fine. On the other hand, it doesn’t have an app, nor can you set up a timer. Everything has to be set up manually.

Conclusion

• Introverts work well in silence, especially when it comes to complicated tasks;
• If you’re an introvert and prefer music ― keep doing you, but try out silence;
• If you need silence, try earplugs. Veer is suitable for on-the-go noise regulation and office work;
• If you prefer sounds, try sound apps or playlists. Those are available on streaming.

What do you do to stay focused? Are you using sound apps or earplugs? Is there anything we forgot to mention?

Let us know in the comments!