Cocon
Not every background sound suits every kind of work. A sound that helps you write may be too lively for reading a contract, and the one that carries you through a long coding session may be too monotonous for brainstorming. Here is a simple way to choose.
Three questions to ask
How noisy is the room? The noisier it is around you, the broader and steadier your sound needs to be to cover it. Heavy rain and storms mask well; birdsong does not.
How precise is the task? Detailed work — reading closely, editing numbers, learning — is best with very calm, uniform sounds at a low level. Open-ended work — drafting, sketching, thinking — tolerates a bit more texture. A well-known study by Mehta, Zhu and Cheema (2012) found that moderate background noise helped creative tasks, while loud noise hurt them.
How long will you be there? For long sessions, choose sounds without obvious repeating events. A single memorable bird call that comes back every three minutes will drive you mad by mid-afternoon.
A sound for each kind of work
Writing and drafting — rain
Rain is the all-rounder: broad enough to mask the room, with no melody and no words. Lighter rain suits writing; push it towards a downpour when the room gets noisy. (Rain is free in Cocon.)
Working in a noisy place — storm
When there is talking around you, you need more masking than a drizzle can offer. A storm adds the weight of heavy rain and the occasional distant rumble. Keep the volume modest: the thunder should be felt, not startle you. (Storm)
Reading and studying — snow or river
Close reading needs calm, uniform sound. A quiet winter wind or a gently flowing river stays in the background without competing with the text. (Snow, River)
Long sessions and coding — night train
A train is one of the most regular sounds there is: a low rumble and the rhythm of the wheels over the rail joints. Rhythmic, predictable, with no surprises, it is a good companion for hours of steady work. (Night Train)
Evenings and creative work — fireplace
A fire is warm and slightly irregular: the crackles keep it alive without demanding attention. It suits the end of the day, sketching, planning, or answering personal email. (Fireplace is free in Cocon.)
Winding down — ocean or forest
At the end of a hard day, or between two tense meetings, slower sounds help: the swell of the sea or wind in the leaves with birdsong. Natural sounds have been linked to faster recovery after stress (Alvarsson et al., 2010). (Ocean, Forest; see also our five-minute desk reset.)
Volume: lower than you think
The right level is the one you stop noticing after a couple of minutes. If you are aware of the sound, it is too loud. Through headphones in particular, keep it low for long sessions: your ears will thank you.
When to choose silence
If you are learning something difficult, memorising, or the room is already quiet, silence may simply be best. Ambient sound is a tool for covering distractions, not something you need all day.
Picture and sound together
Cocon pairs each sound with a scene drawn on your Mac desktop, behind your windows, and links the two to a single intensity slider. Free: Rain, Snow and Fireplace. Cocon Pro (a one-time purchase) adds Storm, Forest, River, Ocean and Night Train, and every setting.
Sources
- Mehta, R., Zhu, R. & Cheema, A. (2012). Is noise always bad? Exploring the effects of ambient noise on creative cognition. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(4), 784–799.
- Alvarsson, J. J., Wiens, S. & Nilsson, M. E. (2010). Stress recovery during exposure to nature sound and environmental noise. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 7(3), 1036–1046.
