How Pink Noise Calmed My Internal Monologue And Gave Me Mental Clarity
I’ll admit that my recipe for achieving total concentration is a bit odd. Instead of sequestering myself away in a small, soundless space, or maximising my focus with something like the Pomodoro technique, I like a little background commotion. Be it the murmur of Downton Abbey (which is best consumed on repeat, from start to finish, twice a year), or a boot-stomping country music playlist, I like there to be something happening around me that I can then totally ignore.
Only then, when I’m making an active effort to ignore the background noise, can I drop into the place where deep work gets done and deadlines are met. Needing this sort of balance between distraction and concentration is not that unusual, and is often associated with people with ADHD or ADHD-like tendencies, though I haven’t been diagnosed with either.
However, as of a few months ago, my failsafe trick began to – well – fail. The strains of heartbroken country musicians would penetrate my bubble, pulling me out of my concentration state. I couldn’t go back to silence, but I found I couldn’t bear to hear people sing, either. The surprising solution? Pink noise.
What is pink noise?
A type of sound frequency, pink noise sits in the same category as white noise, brown noise and green noise. Each of these noise “colours” has a certain frequency, though different types of noise can sit in each one. For example, the static of a TV might constitute an example of white noise, while the low rumble of thunder or repeated drumming of rain on a metal roof are instances of brown noise.
“Pink noise is characterised by a frequency spectrum in which the energy decreases as the frequency increases,” Dr Ritz Birah, psychologist and sleep expert for Panda London tells me. “This means lower frequencies are slightly more pronounced than high ones.”
In simple terms, Birah says, pink noise is “a rich, full, balanced sound that mimics the sound of steady rainfall, rustling leaves or the gentle ebb and flow of ocean waves”.
What’s the difference between pink noise and white noise?
Unlike white noise, which can emulate crackling, high-pitched static – like an out-of-tune television or radio – pink noise sounds deeper, softer and more balanced. Birah says that, because lower frequencies are perceived by humans as being more pleasant and less intrusive, pink noise is a suitable frequency to promote sleep, relaxation and concentration.
White noise, on the other hand, mimics something slightly harsher and more noticeable, like the whirr of a hairdryer or the hum of a fan.
How do sounds affect the nervous system?
The nervous system is the key to whether we feel calm and at ease or activated and on edge. Composed of two parts (the sympathetic and parasympathetic), the nervous system plays a key role in preparing us for action in the face of danger, or on the other hand, helping us to relax and enter the rest and digest mode. The sounds we hear can have a direct effect on it, too.