You thought you went to the library for the silence, but science says that the “co-action effect” is responsible for your concentration.

When teleworking or studying, you can live a very peculiar situation: Sit at your desk at home, open your laptop and suddenly feel the urgent need to tidy up the table, go to the refrigerator or check Instagram. In the end, do everything possible except do the tasks we have to do and be zero productive. But this is something that can change completely if we go to a library or the officewhere you can achieve three hours of absolute concentration.

It has its explanation. It is not magic, nor is it coincidence, since the fact of being very more productive in libraries or in spaces of coworking responds to a fascinating combination of human psychology, interior design and social pressure.

The psychology. The most powerful psychological factor operating in a library is what experts call social facilitation. This theory postulates that the mere presence of other people performing a task similar to ours improves our performance in routine or mechanized tasks, since we are forced to have to replicate them.

Within this phenomenon, the “co-action effect” stands out, which is basically based on the fact that, when we see dozens of people around us immersed in their books or screens, our brain receives a very clear signal: It’s time to work. This behavioral contagion makes it much easier for us to stay focused and not get distracted.

It’s a social comparison. Something that I myself have experienced in this sense is that the thought that one has in these situations is that “If everyone is focused, I should be too.” A simple social comparison that heightens our sense of responsibility and eliminates the temptation to procrastinate to spend some time watching TikTok.

Decades of study. The neural bases of social facilitation have been the subject of different studies, highlighting a 2007 meta-analysis in different individuals that confirmed that the social context of “working” directly modulates our performance. Of course, science also suggests that this effect is wonderful for assimilating notes or advancing on known tasks, but it can be harmful if we face extremely complex mathematical or logical problems where the pressure of the environment can block us.

The design of the space. Beyond psychology, modern libraries not only store books, but have been designed to have good cognitive comfort for those people who visit to work or study. This is something that evidenced in a 2024 study published in Social Sciences Communications which analyzed the environment of university libraries and how it directly influences student engagement.

The conclusions drawn here were that environmental variables such as natural lighting, a controlled noise level, ventilation and the ergonomics of furniture favor positive emotional states that prolong our ability to concentrate. In addition, zoned design, such as absolute silence areas versus group work spaces or modern learning commons, allows the user to “customize” their level of isolation, significantly improving study habits, as supported by science itself.

The silent pressure. If it crosses our mind to open a package of crispy chips in the reading or study room of a library, it seems like an easy task, but the pressure of the gazes of the rest of the people present makes us give up in three seconds. Libraries operate under a strict code of rules that act as firewalls against stimuli that can distract us.

Being a public and academic space, study-oriented behavior is socially rewarded. On the contrary, activities that we would do at home without thinking, such as having the television on in the background, having the cell phone on, watching a video on YouTube or snacking, are perceived here as unacceptable. That is why these ecosystems force us to limit ourselves.

The union in society. Finally, it should be noted that there is an identity component, since by feeling part of a temporary community of people who make efforts in the same physical space, our own academic or professional identity is reinforced.

Interestingly, this phenomenon has been extrapolated to coworking spaces, and science has shown that working “alone but together” not only increases time structuring and perceived productivity, but also improves mental and physical health. Even moderate social interaction, such as a glance or a brief greeting at the coffee machine, gives us the necessary social support without becoming the constant source of interruptions that a traditional office or our own home is often.

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