Research: Perfect Amount Of Background Noise Can Help You Get Stuff Done

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- When you're working on a project, do you like a little noise in the background or do you want it quiet?

New research highlighted in Harvard Business Review shows that unwanted noise is listed as the No. 1 productivity killer.

However, a different study found that silence isn't the solution.

In the Journal of Consumer Research showed that a group working in noise that was about the same as chatter in a cafe or your TV at a normal level was best for getting things done.

Researchers say moderate noise helps creative thinking because the noise level is more likely to spark abstract processing in our brains.

On the other hand, too much background will reduce how much information can be processed by the brain.