The modern, mobile knowledge worker seeks an ideal workspace away from the isolation and the monotony of the home. For many people such a space is one with a certain optimal level of background noise.

In our city spaces, cafes, galleries and bars, an animated conversation nearby can prove distracting. Attention drifts towards audible phrases and fragments that spill out into one’s own private acoustic zone. Noise-canceling headphones soundproof one from such interference.

And yet, small amounts of noise can be beneficial for our senses. First discovered in studies of animal behavior, Stochastic Resonance is the phenomenon that describes how sensory signals can be enhanced by certain optimal levels of noise in a system. Studies show that a low-to-moderate level of ambient noise in public spaces like a coffee shop can actually boost abstract thinking and creativity. The variety of visual and auditory stimuli in a public setting can also stimulate creative thinking, while the physical presence of other people can act as a motivating factor to work more effectively.