Using earplugs or finding a quiet room for memory-heavy tasks in open offices

Cost: Earplugs cost just a few dozen yuan. Booking a quiet meeting room takes some time and effort.
In plain terms: When background noise rises from 39 dB to 51 dB, people remember fewer words, feel more tired, and are less motivated to work. Watching nature videos with sound during breaks helps restore energy far better than continuing to endure office noise.
Benefit: Students working in simulated open offices showed similar effects: at 51 dB LAeq background noise, they recalled fewer words, rated themselves as more fatigued, and felt less inclined to keep working. Viewing nature videos with audio during breaks also boosted their energy levels more effectively than listening to river sounds or office noise alone.
Evidence grade: B
Sources:Jahncke, Hygge, Halin, Green & Dimberg (2011). Open-plan office noise: Cognitive performance and restoration. Journal of Environmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2011.07.002
Notes: Only one laboratory study exists on this topic. Among all noise types, speech that can be clearly understood has the greatest negative impact on performance. White noise headphones may help mitigate this effect, but they were not tested in this research.