The right acoustic landscape can set the right tone for each activity. Working from home could mean a variety of sonic distractions, or procrastination by playlist curation for work instead of actually working. Here, we would like to share a different kind of auditory support—binaural beats.
Compared to playlists or ASMR, binaural beats therapy is a more calibrated attempt at influencing our minds. The theory posits that our brains react differently when they register distinct frequency patterns. These patterns, or binaural beats, result from the frequency difference of sound waves entering each ear. For instance, when the frequency registered by the left ear is 180 Hz and that by the right is 200 Hz, the binaural beat is 20 Hz. This also means that earphones are required for this experience.
Scientists identified 5 frequency patterns, which are ranges of binaural beats, that promote different neurological responses—Delta: 0.5-4 Hz (deep sleep), Theta: 4-7 Hz (meditation, creativity and Rapid Eye Movement stage of sleep), Alpha: 7-13 Hz (relaxation), Beta: 13-30 Hz (concentration, improved memory), Gamma: 30-50 Hz (high focus).
The third tone may feel monotonous, but it does tune you into a focus, be it relaxed or engaged. It makes a good experiment easily available for free on app stores (e.g. Binaural (β) on the Apple App Store) and video platforms if you run out of songs or find ASMR too crisp for comfort.
