Why Do Many People Focus More on Working in Cafés than at Home?

Many people find it difficult to concentrate fully when they have to finish work from home, or work from home (WFH). Conversely, the aroma of coffee and the hum of coffee machines in a café can actually boost motivation to complete the daily task list for those who are working from a café or work from cafe (WFC). Shifting the workplace to a public space like this can have a significant psychological impact on your daily productivity. Here’s the explanation. ‘New things will trigger our attentional system to “wake up”,’ says Catherine Franssen, PhD, an assistant professor at the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability at Virginia Commonwealth University, as reported by Real Simple, on Thursday (21/5/2026). This is because the coffee shop offers the right sensory stimulation to keep you alert, but without feeling overwhelmed. For example, changes in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, or the bread being baked. For some people, working in total silence can actually be disruptive. ‘The level of ambient background noise in a setting like that found in a coffee shop can actually enhance concentration because it sufficiently stimulates the brain to stay engaged,’ Franssen explained. Background noise like this can mask other sounds that might break focus, such as car horns, allowing you to keep working smoothly. ‘There is some evidence that a moderate level of background noise can actually improve performance on certain tasks, especially those involving creativity,’ added clinical psychologist and founder and director of the We Rise Psychology clinic, Nicole Moshfegh, PsyD. After all, humans are inherently designed to adjust their behaviour amid a public setting. ‘Even without direct interaction, there can be a subtle pressure to stay focused on a task. The presence of others increases physiological arousal, which can boost performance on tasks that have already been mastered,’ Moshfegh said. Homes are often filled with visual distractions that demand attention, such as a pile of clean clothes not yet ironed or a pile of dirty dishes in the sink.