A: Background noise

 COFFEE SHOP NOISES CAN BOOST CREATIVITY: Recent research found that the ambient buzz of a coffee shop creates just enough background noise to stimulate creativity. Study researcher Professor Ravi Mehta, with the University of Illinois led the study and says researchers found that extreme quiet tends to sharpen focus, which can prevent the mind of thinking in the abstract. Mehta says, “This is why if you’re too focused on a problem and you’re not able to solve it you leave for some time and then come back to it and you get the solution.” The study found that moderate noise only helped further along creative tasks, and that tasks that required more focus should still be done in quiet environments. A new website called Coffitivity was created based on the study results, and offers ambient noises for free for visitors. (NY Times)