Could the right background noise be a useful tool for better focus? A new study suggests it might help—especially for students with ADHD.
I recently came across an article from the BPS Research Digest (one of my favourite psychology sites), titled “Does Pink Noise Really Help You Focus?”. It caught my attention—not just because I’m always curious about tools to support focus and productivity, but because it touches on something I’ve been experimenting with in my own work life: how sound affects our ability to concentrate.
The article reports on a new systematic review and meta-analysis that looked at whether white or pink noise can help improve focus for people with ADHD or elevated attention problems. The answer? Yes, at least a little. Across 13 studies, the researchers found a small but consistent improvement in task performance when white or pink noise was played in the background. Interestingly, for people without attention issues, the same noise actually made their performance slightly worse.
🧠 So What’s Going On?
The researchers suggest that this aligns with the optimal arousal theory of ADHD. In simple terms, people with ADHD might benefit from a bit more stimulation to help them reach their “sweet spot” for focus. White and pink noise may help them get there.
I’ve come across something similar where some students, to get themselves in the right state to study need to do more relaxing tasks (e.g. a meditation), whilst others need to do more active tasks (e.g. a quick burst of exercise). Each is trying to get the optimal state of arousal, but based on their baseline, some are pushing up, others are pushing down.
🧠 What Else Did the Study Reveal?
Digging into the original paper behind the BPS article turned up a range of other interesting insights:
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The results were impressively consistent. Across 13 studies, the benefit for those with ADHD or high attention problems was small but reliable. In fact, the effect remained stable no matter which study you removed or how the data were analysed—something that’s surprisingly rare in psychology research.
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It fits with what we know about arousal and attention. People with ADHD may be operating below their ideal arousal level. A bit of background noise might nudge them closer to their “focus zone,” while it could push others past it—explaining why noise helped some and hurt others.
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It’s potentially a practical, accessible tool. The researchers describe white and pink noise as meeting the SECS test: Safe, Easy, Cheap, and Sensible. That said, they also warned about the importance of keeping volume levels safe to avoid long-term hearing issues—something not all studies reported clearly.
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There’s a surprising gap in brown noise research. Despite its popularity on platforms like TikTok, there were no qualifying studies on brown noise. That doesn’t mean it’s ineffective—it just hasn’t been properly studied yet.
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Noise helped even if the person didn’t have a formal diagnosis. The positive effects weren’t limited to those with an ADHD diagnosis. Students with high attention difficulties but no formal label also saw benefits—suggesting this might be helpful for a broader group.
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The type of task didn’t matter much. Whether it was memory, reading, writing, or go/no-go attention tasks, no particular activity stood out as more responsive to noise. So the effect might generalise across different kinds of cognitive work.
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Demographic diversity was lacking. Most studies didn’t report race, ethnicity, or other key details about participants. This makes it hard to say how widely applicable the findings are—an ongoing issue in ADHD research.
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All the studies were short-term. The noise was typically played for just a few minutes. We still don’t know what happens with regular use, if people adapt or tune out, or whether the benefits grow or fade with time.
👀 Why This Caught My Eye
I’m often thinking about my own sound environment and how it affects my ability to work.
I tend to work across three main spaces:
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Home (very quiet)
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University open-plan space (low activity, occasional noise)
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Shared office area with phone calls and conversations (consistently noisier)
Of the three, I’m most productive at home or in the open-plan space, and I like moving between the two, depending on how much ambient activity I like to have around me. Essentially, I like a bit of background noise, but once it hits a certain threshold—like multiple conversations or phones ringing—I find it hard to stay on task. I quickly find myself tuning into other people’s conversations and not my work (to be clear, sometimes those conversations are more interesting than my work). But there is a clear tipping point between helpful background noise and distracting background noise.
I also experiment with what I am listening to in headphones. For example I use brain.fm when I need deep focus. It’s a music service that claims to be engineered for concentration. Whether or not the neuroscience lives up to the marketing, I find it works for me. When I hear it, my brain goes: “OK, now we’re getting serious.” For more routine admin work, I switch to regular music playlists—more vibe, less thought. I use Meshuggah for emails.
👂 What About You?
As a student navigating study, assignments, and placement tasks, it’s worth asking:
How does your sound environment affect your ability to focus?
Have you noticed certain types of music or background noise help or hurt?
Is silence your friend? Or does it drive you mad?
And if you haven’t thought about this before, this is your invitation to do so.
Whether it’s experimenting with white noise, trying out focus playlists, or finding your ideal study spot on campus, the right sound environment could become a valuable tool in your mental performance toolkit.