Shh! The benefits of working in silence

When you’re studying, prepping for an exam, reading or writing up an essay, do you work in silence or have music / TV / radio on in the background?

With my work, it varies. If I’m rattling through low-hanging fruit tasks like filling in forms or doing something with a spreadsheet, I’ve always got YouTube on in the background. I need a bit of hum to make it bearable!

But when it comes to the big stuff like writing or analyzing, I need total silence. I have to go 100% Trappist Monk. Usually, this is the time that a neighbour decides to start doing DIY!.

There seems to be a fair amount of academic evidence to back up my monk-like tendencies.

A 2015 study by Duke University biologists in the journal Brain Structure and Function reported that long periods of silence can stimulate the brain to produce new cells. It may help us not only in learning new things, but in holding on to that knowledge after the silence ends.

When we’re not bombarded with a load of stuff for our brains to process – or sensory input as the boffins call it – we’re better able to concentrate on what we’re doing. As such, silence gives us a sharper focus.

Silence also helps us tap into our thoughts in a more meaningful way, leading to greater creativity. Indeed, some of my best research ideas happen when I’m working at home on my own doing some hardcore gazing out of the window. Would I have had these lightbulb moments in a noisier environment? Maybe not.

Furthermore, when we’re quiet, we become more aware of how we’re feeling and what we’re thinking, helping us develop greater levels of self-awareness and reflection.

Working in silence seems to be the way to go. For some of us, that might involve investing in some noise cancelling headphones, keeping the windows closed or decamping to the library. But It’s certainly worth a shot! Shhhh!