Quick google search… from Popular Science:

“Among the 14 studies reviewed, five supported the idea, eight contradicted it, and one ended with mixed results.”

They talk about a few studies with positive results, but then share this:

“not every study shows positive effects. One 2023 study of 1,000 people found that listening to binaural beats at home while taking a test reduced their performance, while silence or listening to other sounds had no impact.”

(Here’s the study referred to: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372220600_Reverse_e...)

https://www.popsci.com/science/do-binaural-beats-work-focus/

WebMD has no clear results either, summarizing:

“Some early research suggests they may affect your brainwaves in ways that may help with attention, anxiety, sleep, and more. But other studies found unclear and mixed results. There aren't scientifically proven guidelines for how best to use binaural beats, or whether they can improve your mental health and thinking.”

It also mentions “they didn’t stop attention from declining over time.”

https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-are-binaural-beats

When asked if binaural beats work, Google’s AI answer confidently starts with the word “Yes”, but fails to back it up with scientific references. And I found some commercial sales listicles (e.g., Ohm Store) and YouTube videos that strongly claim binaural beats are amazing, but also have little to back it up.

My personal experience listening to binaural beats is it helps with focus on coding about the same amount as listening to color noise or rain & thunder or other non-musical audio tracks. Listening to anything masks office chatter and distracting noises.