![]() “It masks sound that might be distracting. But the reason you can concentrate there is because the sounds all merge to become background noise,” the researchers explain. “People are always working in coffee shops-those are not quiet spaces. By measuring the changes in sound the brain is capable of determining whether we enter fight or flight mode, which is perhaps why the low hum found in cafes can help us to fight off distractions as the sound is fairly constant. These interesting findings are important because our tendency to get distracted is largely a stress response initiated in our brain to potential threats. Conversely, in quieter office environments with sound levels below 50 decibels, a 10-decibel increase corresponded to a 5.4% improvement in physiological well-being. The findings indicate that for workers in environments with sound levels over 50 decibels, a 10-decibel rise was linked to a 1.9% decline in physiological well-being. Participants were also queried via their smartphones to report their emotions at random intervals during the day. The researchers monitored heart rate variability and ambient noise, then utilized mathematical modeling to investigate the impact of variations in sound levels on an individual's physiological health. ![]() The second device was worn on the chest and measured the physiological stress and relaxation levels of the wearer. The first of these devices was worn around the neck and measured the sound levels in the wearer's work environment. The researchers quizzed a few hundred office workers across four sites, while also asking them to wear a couple of devices for three days. ![]() That prompted them to conduct this latest study to try and understand what impact that noise had and the physiological reaction we have to typical office-based noise. They found that while they can lead to greater activity during the day and lower stress levels at night than when we work in private offices, they nonetheless batter us with a barrage of noise. ![]() Their study builds upon previous work they conducted in 2018 into how open offices affect us. “We hardly ever consider the physiological well-being or the actual ‘what’s happening in our body,’ which is also important to understand when we’re continuously exposed to environmental factors such as sound.” “When we think about well-being, typically we think about emotional or mental well-being,” they explain.
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