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White Noise: Distraction or Focus Aid?
Views on white noise can range from annoying and distracting to the only way I can focus. I dug into the science and gave it a try for 2 weeks. Here’s what I found out.
What is White Noise?
Before we can really get into whether or not it is helpful, we need to understand what exactly white noise is. White noise is used to refer to a sound that is of equal intensity throughout the entire frequency band.
Often times white noise reminds people of static. However, as white noise increased in popularity, so did other similar background noises. You may have heard of pink noise, brown noise, gray noise, blue noise, or one of the many other types of background noise. These have a similar idea; however, they will have varying intensities at different frequencies. This means some sounds, such as brown noise, are more of a low tone. While other noises, such as blue noise, are more high-pitched.
What The Literature Says
A dive into the scientific literature showed promising evidence but no definitive answer. The exception to this is people with ADHD, who seem to show very strong benefits when listening to white noise. A study showed children with ADHD even had improved visual recall when exposed to white noise.
