The Coffee Shop Effect

Trying to get some work done? You might think that a perfectly quiet environment would suit you best, but it turns out that some noise, around 70 dB (decibels), is most helpful to productive work.
This is about the same level of ambient noise as that of a coffee shop where you find people talking, espresso machines hissing, and perhaps music playing.
Ravi Mehta reporting in the Journal of Consumer Research found that too much noise (over 85 dB) is distracting, and 50 dB is too quiet.

Tags: efficiency, personal productivity, time management