Even Low-Level Noise at Work Can Lead To Stress

Even workplaces that seem relatively quiet--no heavy equipment rumbling back and forth, no constant cacophony of shouting filling the air--can have a noise level that contributes to unhealthy levels of stress.

A new study by researchers from Cornell finds that even low-level noise in an open-style office setting can lead to employees experiencing measurably high levels of stress. The study, published in a recent issue of The Journal of Applied Psychology, was conducted by Dr. Gary W. Evans, a professor of design and environmental analysis, and Dana Johnson, a graduate student at the time of the research.

The study s findings suggest that even a seemingly placid work environment can contribute to employee health problems such as stress, anxiety and heart disease. Additionally, employees in offices with steady low-level noise tend to make fewer efforts to adjust their workstations, making them more susceptible to problems like repetitive strain injury.

The study included 40 experienced clerical workers, all women, with an average age of 37. They were assigned to either quiet workplaces or to ones with a steady buzz of office noise. After 3 hours, the researchers took urine samples from all the women. They discovered higher levels of epinephrine an indicator of stress in the workers who d been in the noisier offices; when asked their impressions, the workers did not report feeling stressed in the noisier offices. The study also concluded that it s likely most bosses will fail to see a problem in low-level workplace noise since, regardless of which office they'd been assigned to, the workers typing performances weren t affected.