Q&A: Binaural Beats

For a reason I am not aware of, this post about binaural beats is one of the most visited and commented posts on my blog. I also recently receive some questions about the topic. Recently, I received the following question.

Hi Eva
I read your comment in this page : http://phdtalk.blogspot.ch/2014/01/silver-linings-binaural-beats-for-study.html
i want to use this waves for focus and study .
you are started with which wave ?
and how to use this waves?
please send me links or file of this waves.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not too convinced of the “scientific” explanations behind the working of binaural beats. I used them in the past for writing my thesis, more as an alternative to white noise, whereas nowadays I mostly work with music.

By no means do I claim to be an expert on the topic. I just happen to have tried out binaural beats a few times, and more than anything, I like the ritual of opening a document for writing, starting a track with binaural beats, and then writing for the duration of the track. I particularly liked tracks that last an hour, giving me an hour of undisturbed writing time. The idea, however, is not much different from using a Pomodoro timer, and for me, I think the fact that I am committing to write for the length of time that the track takes to play, is what really gets me going.

If you want to try it for yourself, here are some videos you may want to try out. I’m not promising miracles, but it is something that may work for you, as it did for me at the time in my life, now four years ago, that I used these tracks for writing.