In a recent Fast Company feature, 'Quiet or I’m quitting: Here’s why your employees are getting so fed up with workplace noise', Jennifer Alsever writes, "As workers return to offices, they may be less tolerant of pre-pandemic decibel levels, especially if they are introverts".
Noise can make us lose concentration, motivation, and brain functioning: People lose an estimated 86 minutes of productivity each day because of noise distractions, according to a study by Steelcase. It takes another 23 minutes to get back on task after an interruption, according to another University of California at Irvine study.
Sensitivity to noise varies among people. Introverts, for instance, tend to tolerate much less noise than extroverts, according to Susan Cain’s book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking. She writes of one study in which extroverts chose 72 decibels for the “just right” level of sound, while introverts chose 55 decibels. Those introverts also performed much worse on tasks when exposed to the extrovert’s noise levels.
In the Fast Company article, Amanda ends with a section looking at Solutions for a Noisy world, saying:
To improve acoustics, companies are installing modular phone booths for quiet work and building huddle rooms with soundproofing that allows everyone in virtual meetings—both at home and in the office—to hear more clearly. On Quiet Mark's Acoustics Academy directory of verified solutions for every application area, you will find such meeting room and booth solutions by brands including BuzziSpace, Vetrospace and BlockO.
In addition, Amanda notes, "Companies are also turning to “soundscaping.” One UK soundscaping company, Moodsonic, does this by playing a wide range of nature sounds, from the babble of a stream to island forests, inside client offices and thereby silencing noisy conversations or a surge in activity. "The company’s software uses sensors to monitor areas of offices and automatically adjust the sounds", says Evan Benway, managing director of Moodsonic.
Moodsonic was recently Quiet Mark certified and is also one of many solutions listed on Acoustics Academy. In this episode, accompanied by fellow guest, Ethan Bourdeau, Sound Concept Lead at IWBI - The International WELL Building Institute, we take a deep dive into the ways in which sound masking and soundscaping can help support a human-centric approach to building design; creating inclusive spaces that cater to a wide neurodiverse range of occupants, from extroverts to introverts.
https://www.quietmark.com/podcast
Episode 26: THE ART OF FIELD RECORDING - Bernie Krause - Wild Sanctuary and Melissa Pons - Melissapons.com
Episode 25 - FREEDOM DAY SPECIAL - Acoustics in large public spaces - Richard King - Sandy Brown and Martin Rawlins - BASWA acoustic
Episode 24: TUNING THE SOUND OF TECHNOLOGY - Matthew Bennett - Composer + Sound Artist | Principal at Acoustic Ecology Design Partners | Former Director of Sound + Sensory Design at Microsoft
Episode 23: FROM SYNTHS TO SOUNDSCAPES - Adventures in Acoustic Ecology with Martyn Ware
Episode 22: THE ART OF ACOUSTIC DESIGN - Axel Enthoven - Yellow Window Design and Richard Ellerbeck - BuzziSpace
Episode 21: COOKING WITH SOUND - Ping Coombes - BBC MasterChef Winner and Henk Huisseune - Novy
Episode 20: THE SOUND OF THE STARS - Paul Gregory & Nick Dunn - The International Dark-Sky Association
Episode 19: DON'T BE ALARMED! - Dr. Elif Özcan (Vieira) - TU Delft & Critical Alarms Lab
Episode 18: THE SOUND OF SLEEP - John Lopos - The National Sleep Foundation
Episode 17: THE NOISE ABATEMENT SOCIETY - Lisa Lavia
Episode 16: SOUND OF THE YEAR AWARDS - Matthew Herbert - BBC New Radiophonic Workshop & Cheryl Tipp - Curator of Wildlife & Environmental Sounds - British Museum
Episode 15: REDUCING NOISE IN HOSPITALS - Yoko Sen - Sen Sound
Episode 14: SOUND WALKING INTO 2021 - Renate Zentschnig and Michiel Huijsman - Soundtrackcity & Grant Waters - Tranquil City
Episode 13: THE ACOUSTICS OF STONE WOOL INSULATION - Jessica Smith & James Mills - ROCKWOOL & Claudio Passavanti aka Doctor Mix
Episode 12: ACOUSTICS IN ARCHITECTURE - Jack Richardson - Hilson Moran & Spencer Drake - Armourcoat
Episode 11: SOUND AND NOISE - Marcia Jenneth Epstein - The University of Calgary
Episode 10: FOOD, SLEEP & ENERGY - Mahmoud Alamir of Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
Episode 9: FROM ADS TO ARCHITECTURE - Steve Keller - Studio Resonate at Pandora
Episode 8: TRANSFORMING CONSTRUCTION WITH SOUND DESIGN - Mike Jacob - Kiss House
Episode 7/ Pt3: IMPROVING ACOUSTICS FOR A NEW NORMAL - Oliver Brookes - BB&C Architects Ltd
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