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> Actually, I have for a long time been of the opinion that the quantity of noise anyone can comfortably endure is in inverse proportion to their mental powers,

> Actually, I have for a long time been of the opinion that the quantity of noise anyone can comfortably endure is in inverse proportion to their mental powers, and can therefore be regarded as a rough measure of them. Ditto. My personal subjective observation on tolerance of meaningless noise and mental powers of others coincides with this observation. This getting downvoted would improve my opinion of both the noise intolerance and intellectual prowess of the hackernews community.

laichzeit0 6y ago
It was Schoppenhauer’s opinion too. See his essay “On Noise”. A counter example is John von Neumann who preferred working in noisy environments.
- Insanity 6y ago
  There's a quote from Schopenhauer's "The World as Will" in the article as well. Interesting about von Neumann, I would never have guessed. For work I need either silence or non-distracting music, noise can really interrupt my flow. There's construction going with my neighbours now and it's impossible to get anything done unless I use my ANC headphones..
  - unhammer 6y ago
    > at the IAS received complaints for regularly playing extremely loud German march music on the gramophone in his office, distracting those in neighboring offices, including Albert Einstein. In fact, von Neumann claimed to do some of his best work in noisy, chaotic environments such as in the living room of his house with the television blaring. Despite being a bad driver, he loved driving, often while reading books, leading to various arrests and accidents. https://medium.com/cantors-paradise/the-unparalleled-genius-of-john-von-neumann-791bb9f42a2d https://medium.com/cantors-paradise/the-unparalleled-genius-...
- baruchel 6y ago
  Interested by your second assertion. Do you have some quote or source?
devin 6y ago
Meh. I know people who can study in a crowded room, prefer it even, and others who would lose their mind at the mere mention of attempting such a thing. I don’t find it difficult to tune noise out, personally. It’s kind of like blurring your own vision. That said, I’m a musician. It’s possible I’m just better at directing (redirecting?) my ear.
mrmonkeyman 6y ago
I care about your opinion. Deeply. Please reconsider.
hedberg10 6y ago
Big5 traits: Neuroticism. If it's high, you'll be intolerant of noise. Unsure if neuroticism correlates with intelligence.[1] [1]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886905002795#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20suggested%20that,between%20trait%20and%20state%20anxiety https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S01918.... Don't assume for others what feels true for yourself, Mr. Babbage. That is a true sign of low intellectual prowess. And I say that as somebody who thinks street musicians/"artists" in subway cars are criminals and should be prosecuted. I can not run away and I didn't ask for or agree to your services.
- jhoechtl 6y ago
  In Vienna they get paid as amean to get beggars out of hotspots. Sad but true.
- mikro2nd 6y ago
  So if you're neurotic you'll (likely) be noise-intolerant, but that does not imply the inverse -- that being noise-intolerant means you're neurotic.
ycombinete 6y ago
Nice subjective observation. My own: some of the most intelligent people I know are easily distracted by noise; other highly intelligent people that I know are not.

laichzeit0 6y ago

It was Schoppenhauer’s opinion too. See his essay “On Noise”. A counter example is John von Neumann who preferred working in noisy environments.

Insanity 6y ago
There's a quote from Schopenhauer's "The World as Will" in the article as well. Interesting about von Neumann, I would never have guessed. For work I need either silence or non-distracting music, noise can really interrupt my flow. There's construction going with my neighbours now and it's impossible to get anything done unless I use my ANC headphones..
- unhammer 6y ago
  > at the IAS received complaints for regularly playing extremely loud German march music on the gramophone in his office, distracting those in neighboring offices, including Albert Einstein. In fact, von Neumann claimed to do some of his best work in noisy, chaotic environments such as in the living room of his house with the television blaring. Despite being a bad driver, he loved driving, often while reading books, leading to various arrests and accidents. https://medium.com/cantors-paradise/the-unparalleled-genius-of-john-von-neumann-791bb9f42a2d https://medium.com/cantors-paradise/the-unparalleled-genius-...
baruchel 6y ago
Interested by your second assertion. Do you have some quote or source?

devin 6y ago

Meh. I know people who can study in a crowded room, prefer it even, and others who would lose their mind at the mere mention of attempting such a thing. I don’t find it difficult to tune noise out, personally. It’s kind of like blurring your own vision. That said, I’m a musician. It’s possible I’m just better at directing (redirecting?) my ear.

mrmonkeyman 6y ago

I care about your opinion. Deeply. Please reconsider.

hedberg10 6y ago

Big5 traits: Neuroticism. If it's high, you'll be intolerant of noise. Unsure if neuroticism correlates with intelligence.[1] [1]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886905002795#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20suggested%20that,between%20trait%20and%20state%20anxiety https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S01918.... Don't assume for others what feels true for yourself, Mr. Babbage. That is a true sign of low intellectual prowess. And I say that as somebody who thinks street musicians/"artists" in subway cars are criminals and should be prosecuted. I can not run away and I didn't ask for or agree to your services.

jhoechtl 6y ago
In Vienna they get paid as amean to get beggars out of hotspots. Sad but true.
mikro2nd 6y ago
So if you're neurotic you'll (likely) be noise-intolerant, but that does not imply the inverse -- that being noise-intolerant means you're neurotic.

ycombinete 6y ago

Nice subjective observation. My own: some of the most intelligent people I know are easily distracted by noise; other highly intelligent people that I know are not.