Most commercial property workers today are feeling the pressure to work harder and harder in a bid to stay afloat in these tough economic times. As a result, many office staff feel stressed and struggle through piles of work in a grim silence whilst simultaneously worrying about the future.
Surely this means they are working to their full capacity, and achieving maximum productivity for their commercial property workplace?
Well, not necessarily. Studies have shown that a little background noise, whether it be music or office chatter, can actually enhance productivity in your commercial property workplace. It has been proven that even the sound of traffic outside can engage the creative side of our brains, allowing for more open thinking and free-flowing ideas.
However, should the background hum become too loud, and concentration can be broken completely – which could perhaps be the case in a busy London office with heavy traffic outside all day.
Business professor Ravi Mehta, of the University of Illinois, calls it the “Goldilocks principle” – not enough noise means little or no stimulation for brain receptors, while too much noise simply causes a distraction.
Professor Mehta said; “A moderate level of noise not only enhances creative problem-solving but also leads to a greater adoption of innovative products in certain settings.
“It turns out that around 70 decibels is the sweet spot. If you go beyond that, it’s too loud, and the noise starts to negatively affect creativity – the middle is just right.”
To put this in context, 70 decibels is roughly the same volume as a car driving past on the street, while a stream of traffic measures at around 85 decibels. The volume of a horn on a heavy goods vehicle is around 110 decibels, and a conversation overheard from a nearby table in a commercial property restaurant would be around 60 decibels.
For those who do not work in a commercial property and instead work from home, this means that turning the TV or radio on in the background will actually ensure greater work output, dispelling the myth that silence is golden. Even going to a commercial property coffee shop or pub, such as Starbucks or Wetherspoon’s, could allow for greater concentration and creative abilities – although a glass of wine or pint of beer may negatively affect this, so it might be best to stick to the soft drinks!
Professor Mehta reinforces this, saying; “An increased level of distraction makes you think ‘out of the box’, what we call abstract thinking or abstract processing, a hallmark of increased creativity.
“But when you start to go beyond that moderate level of noise what happens is that distraction becomes so huge that it really starts affecting the thought process.”
This study could put an end to silent offices and commercial property libraries, where it is often believed that total silence is the optimum condition for processing information and making your brain work more effectively. Even in schools, during exam times, the silence can be so overpowering that you could hear a pin drop.
Several schools in the UK have actually pioneered studying techniques where students study in a room with light classical music playing, and as such have found students calmer and more responsive to learning processes, even managing to improve their grades by at least one level.
Professor Mehta concludes; “This is research that people can relate to almost immediately.
“Instead of burying oneself in a quiet room trying to figure out a solution, walking outside of one’s comfort zone and getting into a relatively noisy environment like a cafe may actually trigger the brain to think abstractly, and thus generate creative ideas.”
Does your commercial property workplace have a radio on in the background, or do you work in silence? Do you believe that light background noise could help you work more effectively, or do you think the distraction could lead to less work being done by yourself and others?
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