Marion Phelut
In Barcelona, you only need to walk through a trendy coffee shop place to realise this: the table is no longer just for a cup of coffee. Students, with their computers open, now occupy a central place in these new informal study spaces.
In recent years, laptop-friendly cafés have established themselves as reliable and creative alternatives to traditional university libraries. In a city where the student population continues to grow – thanks particularly to Erasmus mobility – this new habit reveals a more profound change in working practices, driven by generation Z and accelerated by the post-Covid era. So how do we explain this phenomenon? What are the real benefits? And why, at the same time, are some schools deciding to ban laptops?
Coworking coffee shops: why this trend has emerged
Far from being a simple trend, the emergence of these laptop-friendly cafés answers a tangible need: to find an intermediate workspace, more lively than the library, more welcoming than the student room. We are talking here about a ‘third place’, an in-between space outside the place of residence and the university, combining comfort, stimulation and sociability.
During exam periods, university libraries are often overcrowded and it is not uncommon to have to wait for a seat – a frustrating factor for those seeking a stable and motivating working environment. At the same time, students don’t always know the right places to sit and study in peace and quiet. For them, a café is a simple, accessible and reassuring solution. The pandemic has also played a key role in this transformation. With the democratisation of homeworking and distance learning, students have developed a taste for flexibility. Working with headphones on, coffee in hand, in a warm and bright environment has become a seductive routine that has persisted.
A working environment with real psychological benefits
If these cafés are so popular, it’s also – and above all – because they meet a strong psychological need: to break away from isolation. During exam preparations, many students suffer from loneliness and demotivation. Working alone in your room can quickly become a heavy task. By sitting down in a café, students provide themselves with an environment that is both social and soothing, since seeing other people concentrating – even strangers – can boost our own motivation. This phenomenon, known as social facilitation, is well known to researchers: the passive presence of others stimulates effort.
Another advantage is sensory stimulation. Soft music, background conversation, natural light and a good coffee are all small elements that contribute to an optimal state of concentration. And sometimes much longer than the state of concentration you can achieve in a library or a room that’s too cold and keeps you stressed.
But why are some coffees now banning laptops?
Faced with the growing enthusiasm for these hybrid places, a reaction has emerged: the “anti-laptop” cafés.
In Barcelona, as elsewhere, some places have decided to restrict or ban the use of computers at certain times and days of the week. The main reason? The prolonged occupation of tables by customers who don’t drink much. Beyond the economic issue, there is also a desire to preserve the social identity of the café. Seen by many as a place for human exchanges, spontaneous conversations and relaxation, some people tend to think in other ways. But when all the customers are typing away at their keyboards, the atmosphere becomes silent, practically clinical. Which is the opposite of the idea of a lively and friendly café. Indeed, these establishments are seeking to rediscover the authenticity of the social link, even if it means offending some of their regular customers. A difficult and assumed decision.
In this TikTok, you’ll find a ranking of the best cafés to work in.
