White noise is something I rely on enormously as a way of channeling my focus and getting work done at home. You could probably guess this by my last post, or by the endless endorsements on Twitter. It’s something I genuinely believe in. Some of you are now fans of SimplyNoise.com, while others I’m sure will remain skeptical.

When I discovered the benefits of white noise, it got me extremely interested in how the brain could respond differently to various audio signals. I inevitably found myself researching the controversial subject of binaural beats. Before you judge that I’ve disappeared up my own arsehole in to a world of mystical hyperbole, allow me to explain.

So… what the Scooby are binaural beats?

Binaural beats have divided mainstream and scientific opinion for a long time. They were discovered in 1839 by a dude called Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, who was clearly meant to be a scientist from the second he was named.

Heinrich determined that by playing two audio tones at slightly different frequencies, the brain could be lured in to any number of artificial states by what’s known as the entrainment of brainwaves. If I sound like I’m speaking with a Wikipedia tab loaded by my side, it’s because I am.

By tapping in to the right frequencies, it’s argued that your brain can be induced in to one of many subconscious states. You may feel anything from surges of creativity, supreme focus, states of healing to even telepathic understanding. Now whether you believe this shit or not, it doesn’t really matter. As somebody who investigated the effects for himself, I can say that I’ve found enough common ground to keep myself intrigued.

If you listen to this binaural beats sample, you’ll get an idea for what they actually sound like. Now in terms of raw beauty, Regina Spektor it most certainly ain’t. I should point out that headphones are a must. You can’t expect binaural beats to be effective if you don’t have a good pair of headphones to funnel the frequencies through each ear without crossover.

There are thousands of binaural beats scattered around the Internet. Some are free, some are not. Each beat is crafted to create a shift in consciousness to a desired state. For the self-help freaks reading this, you’ll find a binaural beat for practically every state imaginable. Whether it’s giving up smoking, losing weight or improving your work ethic, sites like The Unexplainable Store have a beat for the occasion.

It would be easy to dismiss these websites as manipulators of unproven science for financial gain. But there truly is a great deal of confusion over just how influential these beats can be. Not too long ago, they were the source of a media backlash dubbing them illegal narcotics.

Personally, I don’t want to oversell what binaural beats may or may not be able to do for you. I believe the effects are psychological and unique to the individual, in such a way that science has no reliable method of classifying them.

If you’ve ever read The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, you are probably familiar with the idea that your state of mind determines the exact environment around you. There is very little concrete scientific proof of how binaural beats can produce identifiable changes in your life. But if your state of mind is right, it’s highly probable that science is still playing catch-up.

All I know is that I’ve extracted a great deal of productivity since trading Spotify for these looping beats. There are many free binaural beats that you can sample for yourself, and if you liked the white noise post, I suggest you check them out!

Recommended This Week:

• Check out The Unexplainable Store for the holy motherload of binaural beats and isochronic tones. I believe YouTube has some freebies too
• Subscribe to my new FinchSells RSS feed. And if you don’t already follow me, add FinchSells to your Twitter.