To Be More Productive, Escape Office Distraction and Head To A Noisy Café, New Study Suggests – University Herald

There’s a reason your favorite coffeehouse is packed with patrons wielding laptop computers, and it has nothing to do with free wi-fi. Studies suggest that working amid clinking cups and light crowd-chatter increases productivity and enables us to think outside the box. But for those who can’t afford to languish all day over $5 cups of joe, one web start-up is bringing the coffee-shop experience to your kitchen (or cubicle) with a free digital soundtrack that simulates café noise.

Key Takeaways:

• A new study suggests that idle chit-chat is not as distracting compared to working in a busy office environment.
• According to Japanese researchers, there is nothing more distracting than overhearing office conversations and meaningful noises.
• In an experiment they conducted, they discovered that certain noises including music and meaningful conversations increase a person’s level of annoyance and decreases concentration and performance on the tasks at hand.

“The person at the other end of the phone might ask “where did you leave the blue file?”, causing the driver to mentally search a remembered room.”

https://www.universityherald.com/articles/53103/20161203/want-more-productive-escape-office-distraction-head-noisy-caf%C3%A9-new.htm