A hotly debated question: where do writers get their best work done?
Some remote and unappealing-to-other-family-members corner of their home for least interruption? Picturesque cottage involving log splitting and kerosene lamps?
Arguably the two most popular options are library and coffee shop. Fans of each consider the advantage of "their" choice no-brainers: studious atmosphere with book support whenever required, vs. energetic atmosphere with caffeine support whenever desired.
People who claim not to be able to work in a place that's too quiet just got a little more scientific ground to stand on. A study found that those working in an environment with moderate ambient noise (defined as around 70 decibels, or the volume of a moving car) are more likely to think creatively. The ambient sound in a coffee house is often just right. Too little, and the effect doesn't kick in, too much, and the benefits go up in smoke (cappucccino vapour?).
The trick, apparently, is to "...find a coffee shop where there's (sic) enough people and enough noise that you don't feel lonely - but not too much noise that you can't work..."
I, of course, will delighted to declare to anyone who may question my priorities the that no, I'm not procrastinating, I'm scientifically maximizing my creativity by coffee-shop-hopping to find the perfectly ambient one.
(seen in The Toronto Star, 23 June 2012, Creativity Comes from Shop, not the Coffee, by Stephanie Findlay)
Some remote and unappealing-to-other-family-members corner of their home for least interruption? Picturesque cottage involving log splitting and kerosene lamps?
Arguably the two most popular options are library and coffee shop. Fans of each consider the advantage of "their" choice no-brainers: studious atmosphere with book support whenever required, vs. energetic atmosphere with caffeine support whenever desired.
People who claim not to be able to work in a place that's too quiet just got a little more scientific ground to stand on. A study found that those working in an environment with moderate ambient noise (defined as around 70 decibels, or the volume of a moving car) are more likely to think creatively. The ambient sound in a coffee house is often just right. Too little, and the effect doesn't kick in, too much, and the benefits go up in smoke (cappucccino vapour?).
The trick, apparently, is to "...find a coffee shop where there's (sic) enough people and enough noise that you don't feel lonely - but not too much noise that you can't work..."
I, of course, will delighted to declare to anyone who may question my priorities the that no, I'm not procrastinating, I'm scientifically maximizing my creativity by coffee-shop-hopping to find the perfectly ambient one.
(seen in The Toronto Star, 23 June 2012, Creativity Comes from Shop, not the Coffee, by Stephanie Findlay)
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