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Do you feel better focused on your work with a little jazz light or coffee chatter than pin-drop silence? Scientists might know why.
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According to Onno van der Groen, a researcher at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Edith Cowan University (Australia), some background noises may actually be good for our senses. This phenomenon is called "stochastic resonance".
First studied in animals, stochastic resonance experiments suggest that "sensory cues can be improved by noise and improve the behavior of various animals," van der Groen wrote for The Conversation last week. . "For example, it has been shown that crayfish were more effective at avoiding predators when a small amount of random electric currents was added to their tail fins. Paddlefish caught more plankton when small currents were added to the water. "
In human experiments, where noise levels were manipulated by forcing participants to listen to noises or to feel random vibrations on the skin, people were better able to see, hear, and hear. to feel at "a certain level of optimal noise". however, the performance has dropped.
Van der Groen pointed out that stochastic resonance also had several applications in real life for humans. "Adding noise to the feet of people with vibrating soles can improve balance performance in older adults," he wrote. For diabetic patients or those who are recovering from a stroke, this can also be used to improve muscle function.
His own research revealed that when brain currents are applied to participants' brains with random noise stimulation, "it improves their ability to see a low-quality image." When he and other researchers applied the same technique to other groups, they noticed "The decisions were more accurate and faster when the noise level of the brain cells was adjusted." Random transcranial noise stimulation also influenced what participants saw during a visual illusion, suggesting that the noise could help people to approach a situation from several points of view.
But the problem with stochastic resonance is that it differs from person to person.
The optimal amount of noise for high-level cognitive function depends on many factors, such as brain variability. Excessive cerebral variability, writes van der Groen, is common in people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and schizophrenia. Older people also tend to have more brain noise (or brain variability) than younger people.
However, as the noise in the brain can be altered by random noise stimulation, van der Groen believes that it is possible to explore "interventions or devices to manipulate noise levels, which could improve cognitive functioning in health and illness.
For example, a study of children with ADHD showed that the white noise generated specifically by Etymotic headphones at 77 decibels improved memory and concentration.
Many downloadable ambient, white and "pink" noise applications have also appeared in recent years. There is Coffitivity, which plays an infinite loop of coffee sounds – and Noisli, which offers different sounds for different purposes. If you want to improve productivity, you can mix raindrops and railroads. For those who want to relax, listen to the waves that crash.
In general, ambient noise is ideal for creativity, white noise for concentration and pink noise can be very useful for improving sleep quality. But remember, finding a stochastic resonance is not a unique process. Play and see what background noises and volumes are best for you.
This Techlicious guide is a good place to start.
© 2019 Cox Media Group.
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