Is Noise Always Bad? Exploring the Effects of Ambient Noise on Creative Cognition on JSTOR

http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/665048
Is Noise Always Bad? Exploring the Effects of Ambient Noise on Creative Cognition on JSTOR

Complexity: 6 Rating: 6

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moderate (70 dB) versus low (50 dB) level of ambient noise enhances performance on creative tasks and increases the buying likelihood of innovative products. 

Process measures reveal that a moderate (vs. low) level of noise increases processing difficulty, inducing a higher construal level and thus promoting abstract processing, which subsequently leads to higher creativity

One exception in this line of research is the finding that for highly creative individuals, a moderate noise level may lead to higher creative performance relative to both low and high noise levels

Maybe relevant:

Von Neumann did some of his best work in noisy, chaotic environments, and once admonished his wife for preparing a quiet study for him to work in. He never used it, preferring the couple's living room with its television playing loudly

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_von_Neumann#Early_career_and_private_life)