Some sounds that have been shown to affect mood and noise have been given color names, such as brown, pink, and green noise, corresponding their frequencies to those of light.

People with tinnitus should avoid silence—sound-rich environments distract the brain

This podcast from an audiologist discusses common questions about tinnitus. It notes that tinnitus could be described as a phantom sound associated with hyperactivity in the brain. It's linked with loud sound exposures above 85 decibels, hearing loss associated with aging and stress, among other factors.

What to listen to if you want to focus

Have you ever put your headphones in, turned on your favorite playlist, and tuned out the rest of the world? That’s the power of music. It can improve your mood, reduce stress, and enhance focus. But what kind of music is best when working or studying? Check out this list for some suggestions.

When processing light, the brain can perceive colors with no natural wavelength

While some animals are sensitive to many forms of light, humans possess receptors that are sensitive to red, green, and blue wavelengths. These receptors send signals to the brain, which are processed and mixed to produce the array of colors we observe, including magenta, pink, and "supercolors" that lack a corresponding natural wavelength in the visible spectrum.

Noise pollution from humans and technology alters animal behavior

Animals may experience chronic stress and health issues due to noise pollution, which often interferes with their mating sounds. Due to traffic, nightingales sing louder on weekday mornings, and birds near airports start singing earlier to avoid upticks in takeoffs and landings.

Sleeping on a problem does seem to help—in fact research published in 2026 suggests scientists can seed people's dreams with sound cues about a difficult puzzle during REM sleep and they'll be better able to solve it.

Noise-canceling headphones use a microphone to identify external sounds, which are then used to produce an out-of-sync version of those sounds to cancel them in your ears.

Scientists are learning to guide your dreams using sound and touch.

How we frame stress—as good or bad—seems to alter how it affects us

This podcast discusses research that indicates stress perception may drastically affect how we respond to it. In research exploring if our stress is presented as diminishing our health versus if we're told it enhances our performance, it will lead to differences in how successful participants are at performing tasks—with the enhancers doing better.

Your favorite music can minimize physical pain, according to a 2025 study on how music can bring solace and address pain.

Notch music therapy may filter out some tinnitus frequencies

Researchers in Germany have developed a smartphone app-based therapy for individuals with tinnitus associated with hearing loss. Some people with tinnitus can use this Notch app with their hearing aids to at least partially block sound frequencies matching their tinnitus pitch—turning down the volume of their tinnitus.

Try out an online tone generator, which produces sounds of specific frequencies to help tune instruments, test your hearing, and generate beats by overlapping tones.

When common sounds become disturbing

Misophonia causes certain sounds to feel violating, triggering a "very visceral kind of experience" filled with extremely unpleasant emotions, including annoyance, anger, and disgust. A 2017 study found that people with misophonia have elevated activity in the brain's anterior insula—a region associated with interoception, emotional processing, and behavioral responses—when exposed to trigger sounds. Ongoing research suggests trigger sound context affects the severity and manifestation of the condition.

Inside the rise of focus music

Any casual YouTube or Spotify user has likely stumbled upon a playlist called "lo-fi beats to study and relax to" while searching for new music. Those "lo-fi beats" actually represent a growing genre of music called "focus music." Spotify, for instance. saw a 50% increase in listening time for focus playlists in its 2023 Wrapped report. This article explains why productivity tunes are on an upswing right now. Read it here.

Temperature and certain medications can also affect your circadian rhythms

Although light and dark have the largest influence on circadian rhythms, temperature, stress, and certain medications are among the factors that also play a role. Persistent trouble sleeping or staying asleep may signal it’s time to see your doctor to get a better sleep-wake schedule.

Color originates from the brain processing light of varying wavelengths

Various geometric models, including Newton's color circle of hue and saturation and the horseshoe-shaped XYZ space for mixing colors via vector mathematics, have been proposed to describe colors accurately. However, these models do not encapsulate the variety of psychological effects that cause perceived colors to differ from mathematical representations.

Why grocery stores play music while you shop

Grocery stores don't play music just for the good vibes. Store soundtracks have been proven to increase spending and improve customer experiences, especially if the music is upbeat. If the tunes are nostalgic for the stores' key demographics, it can help develop a store’s desired brand identity. This article from Reader's Digest details the many reasons behind this strategy.

Some types of stress (eustress) have positive benefits

While many perceive stress as solely negative, stress can in fact be divided into two categories: distress (negative stress) and eustress (positive stress). Moderate levels of stress are positive in that they can boost motivation and promote resilience, which have positive mental health benefits.

Misophonia is a neurological disorder where sounds trigger strong emotions

The phenomenon is characterized by decreased tolerance to specific sounds, such as heavy breathing, pen clicking, and water dripping, which trigger a fight-or-flight response. The resulting emotions, which can range from irritation and disgust to anxiety and fear, can be overwhelming and uncontrollable.

If hearing is damaged, the brain may amplify remaining sounds, perhaps causing tinnitus

Recent mouse brain and ear imaging revealed that the creature compensates for hearing loss by sending signals to the cochlea in the inner ear. This triggers nerve fibers in the inner ear to increase volume and become more sensitive. Learning about these boosted-sensitivity messages from the brain to the cochlea—if they're similar in humans—might help explain tinnitus and fuel experimental approaches to turn down that sensitivity.

A novel tinnitus therapy, called Lenire, involves mild electric tongue shocks and sound exposures.

Hear examples of what tinnitus can sound like to those suffering from it.

Explore a series of bedtime exercises to improve sleep

Low-impact, mindful movements can potentially help the body and mind relax before sleeping. Such exercises could be a helpful complement to regular exercise during the day.

How the buildings you occupy may affect your brain health

Beautiful spaces filled with light and natural motifs aren't just aesthetic, but likely key to your health. Researchers had study participants view photographs of two distinct buildings, one designed with more natural elements while the other featured more abstract shapes and lines. Using electroencephalograph readings of each participant, they discovered participants had less brain inflammation while viewing the "biophilic," or natural, architecture. Learn more about the interdisciplinary framework of so-called neuroarchitecture here.

Pulsatile tinnitus is when you hear thumping synchronized with your heartbeat

This rare type of tinnitus, which sounds like rhythmic thumping or whooshing, is often linked to blood vessel conditions or high blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure through exercise and food choices can help reduce the severity of this condition.

Stress contributes to gray hair because when the body experiences stress, the sympathetic nervous system releases specific hormones that influence pigment-producing cells.

Noise from data centers may disrupt wildlife and local residents

Individuals living where local ordinances have allowed data centers to be built next to residential areas have reported that the constant humming and vibrations from cooling systems have prevented them from sleeping and exposed them to chronic noise, which the American Public Health Association says can lead to cardiovascular disease and increased stress.

Modern media exposure may impact whether people dream in color or black and white.

Interacting sound waves can create regions where the pressure from each wave combines, allowing objects to levitate in place against gravity or be manipulated for touch-free construction.

Explore a visual and auditory guide to wave properties and waveforms to learn how every sound imaginable can be created by combining multiple vibrations of air.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get.

Light pollution is giving oysters insomnia

Oysters, bivalve mollusks that have light-detecting cells along their skin, can't sleep with all this artificial light. According to a 2022 study, oysters' sleep cycles are disturbed by light dimmer than that provided by the full moon. As with humans, it's possible that these bouts of insomnia could have adverse health effects and contribute to the development of disease over time.

See this graphic describing what different decibel levels mean for hearing loss.

Watch how your nervous system's efforts to process silence can contribute to tinnitus

Cochlear cells can be damaged in numerous ways, including aging or exposure to loud noise. If enough cells die, the auditory system can become less sensitive, prompting the brain to compensate by amplifying sound, which is likely to contribute to tinnitus.

Sleep research published in 2021 confirmed that there is a 'creative sweet spot' when people are drifting off to sleep, and that if they wake up at that point to work, it can boost their creative problem-solving.

Certain medications can make tinnitus worse

Certain antidepressants, antimalarial medications, antibiotics, ibuprofen, and cancer drugs have been linked with the condition. At higher doses, particularly, it seems they can trigger or worsen tinnitus in some individuals.

Visualizing a synaesthetic soundscape

Artist Michal Levy has chromesthesia, a subtype of synesthesia in which sounds and music trigger involuntary associations with and sensations of color. This condition gives Levy a unique artistic perspective and ability to interact with and interpret music. In this short animation, Levy tries to capture her audiovisual experience of 'Giant Steps," considered a landmark composition in jazz history by musician John Coltrane.

Brain implants can help colorblind people hear colors

Colorblind artist Neil Harbisson was born into a world of grey. In 2004, he had a chip installed connected to an external color frequency sensor. Once the sensor "reads" a color, it sends a signal to the chip and plays an associated sound both in and outside Harbisson's head.

One decibel of hearing loss increases tinnitus risk by 6% for older people

That's according to an analysis of more than 18,000 people published in BMC Medicine in 2023. The tinnitus risk is not just limited to older people: The research also concluded that one decibel of hearing loss increases the risk of developing tinnitus among young adults by 3 percent.

Listen to the 'sounds' of the universe with this sonification library, where astronomers have transformed certain astronomical data sets into audio for broader engagement.