My theory is subtly different from these. I sometimes call it "ambient sociability". That's a beautiful way of putting it. I absolutely can be productive in a

My theory is subtly different from these. I sometimes call it "ambient sociability". That's a beautiful way of putting it. I absolutely can be productive in a coffee shop. The best ones are busy enough that I feel social activity going on around me and loud enough that I can't pick out individual conversations without effort. The ambient sociability, as you put it, lets me feel some sense of connection to the world. The fact that I don't have any actual connection to the people surrounding me lets me focus and get work done.