A study at the University of California, Irvine, found that a typical office worker’s focused quiet time is only 11 minutes in-between interruptions on average,[1] and it actually takes 25 minutes to resume to work after any interruptions. The noise and interruptions are badly affecting our work efficiency, and in fact, our life too.
Our brains will be overloaded and their normal functions can be affected with too much noise.
Psychologists examined the effects of the relocation of Munich’s airport on children’s health and cognition. They let the third- and fourth-grade students who lived and went to school near the old airport and near the new airport have tests on reading, memory, attention and hearing. Here’s the findings:[2] Even though you may not be always working under excessive noise in your office, noise still interrupt the functioning of your brain to some extent. Our brains get stimulated by sound, and too much noise can overload our brains with stimulating chemicals, affecting our comprehension skills and attention.[3]
On the contrary, silence gives our brains a break and boost our performance.
In a scientific research, physician Bernadi compared the effects of different types of music with silence as a control experiment. It’s found in the participants that the two-minute silent pauses in between the music played were more relaxing than listening to the relaxing music or the longer silent period before the experiment started.[5] Silence seems to work better for our brain when it’s heightened by contrasts. The CEO and co-founder of a design company Milanote, Ollie Cmpbell, was well aware of this; so his team instituted daily “quiet time” to bring the balance back for the employees in order to help with their attention and creativity.[6] The company compared months of data on the team’s velocity, and it showed that they’re 23% more productive after trying this for four years. Campbell said,
A powerful brain needs regular breaks, so set aside time for silence and get unplugged.
Silence calms not only your mind and soul, but also boosts your brain functions; so making room for silence is really important for all of us. You can start by scheduling yourself a period of strict quiet time at work and off work. Get unplugged or go offline for a little while at work, so you don’t get interruption from anyone and anything. When you’re not at work, find yourself a third place — a place where you can be comfortable with and enjoy your own time;[7] maybe it can be the park nearby? Or somewhere by the seafront? Most importantly, this should be a place where you can be alone and quiet. Featured photo credit: Metrouk via metrouk2.files.wordpress.com
