This study investigated the potential effects of two kinds of color noises (white and pink) on attention. Eighty-one healthy college students were recruited and divided into 3 groups (quiet, white noise, and pink noise). Twenty trials of attention tests without noise or in different noise contexts were used to measure participants' attention. The results showed that compared to the quiet group, the average reaction time of white noise was significantly shorter (p < 0.05). Pink noise showed neither improvement nor impairment in attention when compared to the white noise or the quiet context (p > 0.05). These findings indicated that white noise may promote attention. The results may change the stereotype that quiet environments are best for work. Future studies could use a within-group design to reduce bias due to participants' differences. Furthermore, the study of cognitive neuroscience can be conducted to investigate whether brown noise activates or intensifies the prefrontal cortex's activity.

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