Honk. Shhh. Swish swish bish. That was the sounds of white, pink, and brown noise. Much like a Neapolitan ice cream, these colors don’t mix well, but they stand out on their own. Whether good or bad, there is definitely an opinion to be had about each one.

“Live, laugh, love” they say, but white noise makes that impossible. It’s depressing and has zero benefits according to Brittany Mercado, Upper School History Teacher. Mercado said, “We always used to use white noise for my son, but we switched to brown noise because we read an article that said white noise had negative effects.” Thanks to Mercado we can now inform everyone of how harmful white noise really is. Maggie Klingman ‘25 said, “It makes me feel empty.” These rational thoughts are warning us of how dangerous white noise is. It is stripping us of personality and vitality! After listening to the white noise, Owen Walters ‘35, said, “It sounded like a horn.” Clearly, it is not relaxing, but if you need a new alarm sound then white noise should be your pick. Additionally, Mari Sideris ‘25 said, “It’s kind of distracting.” Mike Weiss, Upper School history teacher, said, “I could sleep but I can’t work to it.” If you can’t even do work while listening to it, what is it good for? Not everyone is completely against white noise though. Stewart Cook, fourth grader, said, “I like the white noise the best.” So, next time you have nothing to do, listen to white noise and see what you find your opinion to be. 

Pink noise seems to be the hidden gem at the bottom of the sole body of water in the desert. One fish in the pond, Marisol Wickham, has already

discovered the gold (or should I say pink) nugget. “I use pink noise to study because it helps me concentrate,” Wickham said. The peaceful ripples in the pond radiate into the souls of its inhabitants. Chuck Edwards ‘25 said, “This makes me feel like I’m at the beach. I don’t know if I could work to this but I could sleep to it.” Not everyone, however, can drown out their minds in the depths of the waves. Miles Hartman ‘34 said, “I could probably, maybe, do a little bit of math to it and then I might get distracted.” Others have not yet taken enough time to appreciate the newfound discovery. Walters said, “I can’t even hear it so it probably wouldn’t distract me.” Unsure about diving into new territory, Stewart Cook ‘32 ponders this revolutionary experience. “I could work to this, but I couldn’t sleep to this. It makes me feel the same as white noise.” Fortunately, most people have kept their heads above water until the end of the sound frequencies. Mari Sideris ‘25 said, “I could study and fall asleep to it because it’s less distracting.” Affirming this positive mindset, Klingman gazed into her reflection in the pond and spoke with her heart in her hand. “This one is very calming. I think I could sleep to this and I could definitely study to this,” Klingman said. For some community members, the carefully calculated pitch and frequency changed their lives. Colin Imwalle, Upper School history teacher, said, “I could sleep to this. I think I personally prefer this to white noise.” So far, pink noise seems to have blown all other sounds out of the water. Weiss said, “I could sleep to it and I might be able to work to that more than white noise.”

Days are often scheduled down to every minute. Classes, practices, and extracurriculars take up hours worth of time, leaving little time to get other work done. When you finally sit down and have the chance to be productive, brown noise makes that nearly impossible. Edwards said, “It sounds like you’re on the side of the road. I could not sleep or work to it.” His peers agreed: Klingman said, “It’s a little too high pitched. I hate brown noise.” Younger students found the same results. Walters said, “It distracts me and I can’t work or sleep to it.” All in all, we learned that brown noise was greatly disliked and considered distracting. 

Let’s take a look at some unanswered questions. First, are any of these sounds actually useful? Depending on your preference, any of these noises could potentially help you. It differs from person to person so give them a try and see what you think. Second, which one is the best? What you’re looking for has a great influence on this question. However, according to our polls, brown noise tended to be disliked by our peers. As for the most liked, that was pink noise. Some people enjoyed white noise, but most also disliked it. If you are looking for a ranking based on our study, 1. Pink 2. White 3. Brown. Lastly, which one gives the most health benefits? While our study did not cover this topic, we encourage you to test them out for yourself. Those who have been listening long term have no apparent issues… for now.