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What are binaural beats?
Updated 22 October 2026
A binaural beat is a sound your brain makes up. If your left ear hears a 200 Hz tone and your right ear hears 210 Hz, you perceive a gentle pulse at 10 Hz, the difference between them. Neither ear hears the pulse; it is created where the signals from both ears meet in the brainstem.
Press play
Play opens the sound masker with this mix already loaded, so you can hear it and shape it.
How to set it up
- Put on headphones. Through speakers, both ears hear both tones and the effect disappears.
- Play Binaural 10 Hz and listen for a soft wobble in the tone.
- Take one earbud out. The wobble stops, because each ear alone hears a steady tone.
Who discovered them
Binaural beats were described by the Prussian physicist Heinrich Wilhelm Dove in 1839. In the 1970s, Gerald Oster studied them further and suggested they might be useful in research and medicine, which started the modern interest.
Delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma
The beat frequencies are named after brainwave bands: delta (1 to 4 Hz, deep sleep), theta (4 to 8 Hz, drowsy, meditative), alpha (8 to 12 Hz, relaxed and awake), beta (13 to 30 Hz, alert), and gamma (30 Hz and up).
Do binaural beats work?
Reviews of the research find mixed results. Some studies report reduced anxiety, better mood, or better attention, but many are small, and others find nothing. Whether the brain actually synchronizes to the beat is also unclear. They are harmless to try at a low volume.
Questions
Do binaural beats work without headphones?
No. Each ear has to hear only its own tone.
Are binaural beats safe?
For most people, at a low volume. People with epilepsy should ask a doctor first.