We’ve known for a long time that some learners need a certain type of noise or quiet in order to learn.

For example, auditory learners will learn best by listening or by having noise in the background while they’re trying to learn something.

And learners with sensory-avoidant sensitivity often need quiet to learn – like an ADHD or autistic student needing to wear noise-cancelling headphones in a noisy classroom or to get through a school assembly.

But here’s the wild part that I didn’t know, but I learned this week in class!

Some types of background noise stop everyone from learning

Sad but true – a 2002 study by Hygge, Evans, & Bullinger found that when an airport moved, the children who’d been living with that constant level of background noise in their homes improved in long-term memory, short-term memory, and reading performance…

And the kids who lived in the airport’s new location were suddenly doing worse in those memory tasks, under the increased level of background noise. 😭

Image source: Photo courtesy of Flickr contributor US National Archives.

And this doesn’t just affect children as learners.

Your memories can also be disrupted or fade faster at any age if the background noise at the time you’re trying to listen or learn is a meaningful kind of noise, because it’s harder for your brain to filter out.

For example, a study by Knez and Hygge (2002) found that people talking in the background around you could disrupt your ability to remember key details.

So the key takeaway for teachers, pre-service teachers like me, students, and even parents, is to get your kids some noise-cancelling headphones if you can afford it!

It could make the world of difference to helping us learn easier and faster, and to hold onto those memories for the long-term.

Study sources:
1. Hygge, S., Evans, G., & Bullinger, M. (2002). A prospective study of some effects of aircraft noise on cognitive performance in schoolchildren. Psychological Science, 13, 469–474.
2. Knez, I., & Hygge, S. (2002). Irrelevant speech and indoor lighting: Cognitive performance and self-reported affect. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 16, 709–718.