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I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

nytimes.com

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Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#71

Post by wslh »

doorhammer wrote: post #67
superuser2 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Noise is bad for concentration" isn't exactly an extraordinary claim. What makes you skeptical?

My saying "meaningless" might have been a bit hyperbolic, but stands for the type of meaning I prefer. I doubt I would have thought twice about it if there wasn't a research article dropped into the middle of the piece that didn't really seem to justify anything that was being put forward. I would have just gone through the article, nodded, and read something else. Once I skimmed the research article I was in a "rese…

Sorry I think you are being too extreme in your rigorous quest: imagine that answering all your questions about noise and concentration could take 50 years. Will you wait for 50 years to take a decision for your own life or take an action before? "Sadly" scientific studies are an infinitesimal part of the reality.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#72

Post by joeyh »

HCIdivision17 wrote: post #52
hcarvalhoalves wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'll bite. From my biased viewpoint, based on who complains most, people prefer the quiet more as they get older. Kids don't seem to care, middle aged prefer some separation, and my elders can be derailed by a greeting. Or maybe, older people complain more about noise because they actually know what sane conditions are and how life was back when ADD wasn't a thing yet.

I would agree, but the article spends a lot of time in the past too. Cities weren't quiet in the olden days, and even the countryside is remarkably noisy with life. 'Course, nothin' beats the distraction potential of the modern Internet (as my reply is demonstrating), so I can't fully discount it.

Yes, the countryside can be quite full of sound. For example, the cidadas are going outside my windows this evening. But there is a difference between hearing this natural sound and hearing a siren every ten minutes, the swish of tires every minute, the voices of unknown people intermittently, etc.

I think the reason so many turn to constantly on music in the city is it drowns out the more subconciously distressing sounds with sounds that are familiar, that repeat, that you control. Since moving to the country, I only put on music when I want to really listen to it, to the exclusion of all else.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#73

Post by bachback »

Ah, Schopenhauer. Schopenhauer - Über Lärm und Geräusch http://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Ueber_Lerm_und_Ger%C3%A4usch

Interestingly enough his main ideas were influenced by Hinduism, but there was little known about Buddhism around 1818 in Europe. He later acknowledged that his philosophy was essentially buddhistic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauer#Buddhism

John Cage ventured into this arena in a different way. He is famous for his silent piece 4'33. John Cage on silence and sounds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcHnL7aS64Y

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#74

Post by jseliger »

pg wrote: post #68

It's so true. I can do routine work with noise, but not the kind that requires insight. The sad thing is that noise is yet another example of the phenomenon of "the tragedy of the commons." Which means things tend to get noisier and noisier. In fact, what has surprised me most about living in Palo Alto is how noisy it is. You'd think living in the suburbs would at least be quiet. It is on weekends. But the problem wi…

I can do routine work with noise, but not the kind that requires insight.

I have the same problem, and it's part of the reason I often like to work during the night more than the day.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#75

Post by staccatomeasure »

pg wrote: post #68

It's so true. I can do routine work with noise, but not the kind that requires insight. The sad thing is that noise is yet another example of the phenomenon of "the tragedy of the commons." Which means things tend to get noisier and noisier. In fact, what has surprised me most about living in Palo Alto is how noisy it is. You'd think living in the suburbs would at least be quiet. It is on weekends. But the problem wi…

Im in Mountain View and I can tell you that at least half of the problem is shoddy construction. East Coast houses are made to keep out weather and West Coast houses are made not to hurt when they fall on you.

And this issue is going to make someone a billionaire in the future. Urbanization is well under way and people are only getting noisier and more crowded.

Also, another area for huge improvements is in the legal system. Basically you're screwed if you have noise issues due to anything "normal" - e.g. music, talking, babies...etc.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#76

Post by stephth »

pg wrote: post #68

It's so true. I can do routine work with noise, but not the kind that requires insight. The sad thing is that noise is yet another example of the phenomenon of "the tragedy of the commons." Which means things tend to get noisier and noisier. In fact, what has surprised me most about living in Palo Alto is how noisy it is. You'd think living in the suburbs would at least be quiet. It is on weekends. But the problem wi…

I would work for the rest of my life to pay for a device that turns my ears off temporarily. YC2020?

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#77

Post by gms »

pg wrote: post #68

It's so true. I can do routine work with noise, but not the kind that requires insight. The sad thing is that noise is yet another example of the phenomenon of "the tragedy of the commons." Which means things tend to get noisier and noisier. In fact, what has surprised me most about living in Palo Alto is how noisy it is. You'd think living in the suburbs would at least be quiet. It is on weekends. But the problem wi…

Is money able to solve this problem, through better sound insulation in one's house?

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#78

Post by taroth »

pg wrote: post #68

It's so true. I can do routine work with noise, but not the kind that requires insight. The sad thing is that noise is yet another example of the phenomenon of "the tragedy of the commons." Which means things tend to get noisier and noisier. In fact, what has surprised me most about living in Palo Alto is how noisy it is. You'd think living in the suburbs would at least be quiet. It is on weekends. But the problem wi…

You might hope that we would become habituated to reoccurring noises in our environment, but the opposite has been shown empirically. [1]

The study showed that while regular office workers become habituated to office chatter after 20 minutes of exposure, their habituation resets to baseline after only 5 minutes of quiet (measured via memory tasks). The irregularity of the noise is what kills us.

The only effective solution I've found against ambient ear-shocks is to overpower them via headphones and regular white noise.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#79

Post by anaphor »

koolkao wrote: post #63
anaphor wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There has been some research done into why this is (I'm citing a personality course I took), and it could be because some people's brains have a lack of stimulation, and others are overstimulated. The people lacking stimulation find it easier to think in noisy environments because they're full of stimuli. This might also explain some of the traits of introverted/extroverted people.

interesting! that seems to be consistent with my experience. I can never work at my quiet office where just sitting down bores me to tears and puts me to sleep in less than an hour. working at a cafe on the other hand I can go on for hours. Do you have more info on the introvert/extrovert link?

I found this link which is basically what the prof said: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/articles/persona... and an actual study: http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=search.displayRecord&UID...

Of course you should keep in mind potential confounding factors, but it's certainly interesting as an explanation. I'm not sure if there've been any studies where they took fMRIs while doing the lemon juice test, which would probably be a bit better.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#80

Post by syassami »

pg wrote: post #68

It's so true. I can do routine work with noise, but not the kind that requires insight. The sad thing is that noise is yet another example of the phenomenon of "the tragedy of the commons." Which means things tend to get noisier and noisier. In fact, what has surprised me most about living in Palo Alto is how noisy it is. You'd think living in the suburbs would at least be quiet. It is on weekends. But the problem wi…

When I truly want to concentrate and need silence, I wear noise-canceling ear plugs. The same type you use to protect from a chainsaw-sounding snoring roommate.
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