Exposure to continuous white noise sabotages the development of the auditory region of the brain, which may ultimately impair hearing and language acquisition, according to researchers from the University of California, San Francisco.

April 5, 2025 - Scientific research has increasingly focused on the effects of white noise on the brain. It sheds light on how it influences neural activity and cognitive processing. Studies suggest that noise can positively affect problem-solving, creativity, and information processing.

September 5, 2018 - In a new review article, Attarha and researchers from the University of California, San Francisco suggest that the background buzz of white noise – which some advocate as a means of lessening the perceived symptoms of tinnitus – could actually be harmful to our central auditory system. While the biological mechanisms behind tinnitus aren't fully understood, scientists are continually finding evidence that the symptoms are tied to measurable changes in various parts of the brain that go beyond simple hearing loss – although tinnitus, especially when it first appears, is often associated with exposure to loud, traumatic noises that damage the eardrum and hearing.

As we have argued above, white noise might modulate midbrain activity (Rausch et al., 2013) and cortico–striatal interactions in a way that puts the system in a state of enhanced sensitivity to external stimulation and reduced stability of currently held representations, putatively by enhancing connectivity between sensory and prefrontal brain areas (Ward et al., 2010). Such an effect could be mediated by decreases in tonic and increases in phasic dopamine signaling from the SN/VTA to the striatum (Braver and Cohen, 2000; Badre, 2012; D’Ardenne et al., 2012; Rausch et al., 2013).

September 29, 2010 - For extensive reviews on the influence of noise on the nervous system the reader is referred to recent reviews [14, 21]. Also detrimental effects of noise on the nervous system and in particular on speech processing are reported in a recent review [22]. The novel aspect of the proposed framework is that the SR phenomena differs between individuals and these differences are linked to attention ability and neurotransmission in the brain in such way that inattentive persons need more external noise for a proper cognitive functioning.

September 4, 2018 - Mouna Attarha. “Increasing evidence shows that the brain rewires in a negative manner when it is fed random information, such as white noise.

October 18, 2020 - Review finds quality of evidence is poor and noise may lead to more disrupted sleep

April 16, 2024 - White noise machines are widely used as a sleep aid for young children and may lead to poor hearing, speech, and learning outcomes if used incorrectly…

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July 4, 2024 - It turns out, the continuous background noise also known as white noise which comes from machines and other appliances, can harm your brain, it does so by overstimulating your auditory cortex– the part of the brain that helps us perceive sound.

September 4, 2018 - It argues that exposure to the random, unstructured sounds that make up white noise can alter the brain’s neural connections that help us perceive sound, leaving us at risk of conditions such as tinnitus and even dementia.

February 20, 2024 - A review of the science around white noise in 2015 noted that white noise isn't a miraculous brain-changer; it just affects our concentration, depending on the context. "White noise has no general effect on cognitive functions.

White noise has attracted widespread attention due to its potential effects on psychological and physiological states, particularly in promoting relaxation. The prefrontal cortex, a critical region of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions and emotional regulation, may influence an individual’s mental and physical health through its responses to external stimuli.

In other words, a fan or air conditioner creates thousands of different audio frequencies so that the human brain cannot follow the surrounding noises and stops them from penetrating the brain (unless they are excessively loud) (3, 6). In addition, the same feature of WN is sometimes used in emergency vehicle sirens to make it easier for people to locate police cars, ambulances, and fire engines (2). An examination of the literature and research on WN, especially by occupational health researchers, reveals that most of these studies focus on the physical and auditory effects of WN (7, 8).

August 26, 2022 - This can be accomplished by measuring the concentration of injected radioligand (radioactive biochemical substance) using a positron emission tomography camera which helps detect the dopamine released in the brain66. On the practical side, results from this paper can be used to enhance our understanding of customized workspaces. Hence, future research can investigate the means and methods to integrate the use of white noise as a performance booster in the workplace and customize the exposure to different white noise levels to fit into the requirement of the work task at hand. This study examined the effect of two white noise conditions, white noise level at 45 dB and white noise level at 65 dB, on the cognitive performance, creativity, and stress levels of neurotypical young adults in a private office space.

The University of Michigan neurologist’s warning follows growing evidence that prolonged exposure to artificial background noise at night can harm auditory health, which has now been closely linked to cognitive decline. White noise – a consistent background sound made up of multiple frequencies – is often used to mask disruptive noises and help people fall asleep.

August 1, 2025 - What does a white noise machine do? It produces a sound that works in three ways to help with sleep: It produces a masking effect. It reduces auditory stimulation. It promotes calmness and relaxation. The masking effect occurs because the brain has a limited capacity to process auditory information.

September 9, 2020 - Animal studies, for example, have shown that continuous white noise exposure can perturb slow wave sleep and/or rapid eye movement sleep [14]. White noise could also induce hearing loss, if the sound is too loud. Noise-induced hearing loss is a complex mechanism that includes the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and the active stimulation of intracellular stress pathways causing cell death [15]. It is therefore conceivable that, much like the brain, the auditory system needs downtime to clear metabolic byproducts accumulated during waking hours [16]. Finally, white noise could have additional health consequences.

November 17, 2023 - Apart from specifying the phenomenon of stochastic resonance, the predictions about white noise benefit are similar to the claim by arousal models of ADHD that the brain arousal necessary for successful task completion among children with ADHD may lead to over-arousal in typically developing children, resulting in lower performance (Sonuga-Barke et al., 2010; Martella et al., 2020).