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Type of music can affect you.

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In today's generation, music is very essential in our daily lives. Music is accessible everywhere which is a reason why it has become such a significant factor in our lives. Some people say that music helps then when doing daily tasks because it helps them stay focused on what they are doing. This especially comes into notice when students are writing, studying, or testing.

The question, does music help students focus , has been very argumentative over the years. Many students prefer to listen to music while studying or doing work, and it is proven that music does help concentrate your mind. Many scientists have conducted that classical music is the best choice to listen to when studying. They say this because the calming music tends to help people stay focused, however there is no research to back up this statement. Personally for me, I find that when I listen to my preferred style of music, I am much more focused and motivated to finish my task.

There are many aspects that go into this topic. For example, in the article, How music could help you to concentrate while studying , Max Baker explains how the personality you have can take a huge factor on whether or not listening to music can help with testing. He states, " Personality has also been shown to affect performance, with introverts more likely to test worse than extroverts. Similarly, people tested who are bad at multitasking have also been shown to test worse when listening to background music. For those who feel the pressure during exams, it has been observed that calming music, for example a Haydn string quartet, can help to reduce anxiety in an individual."

It has been proven that when students don't listen to their style of music, their performance level seems to worsen. You should always keep in mind that music that has a repetitive pulse and a steady beat seem to be the best for staying focused, over music such as metal or hardcore styles which can be found to be much too loud and distracting because of the mixture of beats happening within the songs. The music should be at a certain level of calmness that will at least keep you awake. If you choose music that can make you drift off to sleep, you won't be able to concentrate on your task as much as you would with music that is just upbeat enough to keep you awake and prompt.

"Several studies in recent years have linked music, memory, and emotion. To back this claim, Peter Janata has conducted two studies to prove that music, memory, and emotion are linked. His initial study found that "music serves as a potent trigger for retrieving memories." During his second study, Janata took a Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) of students' brains as he played popular songs from their childhood and teenage years. "After each excerpt, the student responded to questions about the tune, including whether it was familiar or not, how enjoyable it was, and whether it was associated with any particular incident, episode or memory" (UC Davis). This study reveals that music, memory, and emotions and strongly linked. This evidence supports the theory that studying while listening to music is a very beneficial practice".

I think this argumentative question all depends on the type of person you are. Everyone studies differently. For example, some people get way too distracted when listening to music at all. But, the majority of people say they find it distracting to not have any music. When I find myself trying to focus, I tend to listen to music because it is soothing to me and I find that I start working at a faster pace than normally.

Background music has been concluded to help during test taking. For example, Max Baker states, " Subjects tested in environments with background music were found to get better results than those tested against background noise. Therefore, taking along an iPod and a set of headphones may come in handy if you're looking to avoid being distracted by any ambient sounds", of course this all depends on the personality you have.

Test it out for yourself! What do you think? Does music help you focus?

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In today's generation, music is very essential in our daily lives. Music is accessible everywhere which is a reason why it has become such a significant factor in our lives. Some people say that music helps then when doing daily tasks because it helps them stay focused on what they are doing.

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"music can actually help you study and those who listen to music while studying may actually be better off for it".

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Second semester is well underway, which means midterms and other tests are looming ahead in the not-too-distant future and that it's time to once again question how studying while listening to music can affect a student's studying efficiency.

Researchers and college students have often wondered whether listening to music has negative or positive effects on the student's studying habits and whether studying while listening to music is a "do" or "don't."

Studies have shown that listening to music before studying or performing a task can be beneficial as it improves attention, memory, and even your ability to do mental math as well as helping lessen depression and anxiety.

Many researchers, as well as students, who think listening to music helps memory have called the practice the " Mozart Effect." Of course, nowadays many students are not actually listening to Mozart, but pop or other music, so the effect may not be the same.

These studies and researchers seem to indicate that music can actually help you study and those who listen to music while studying may actually be better off for it.

However, there have also been several studies that have shown that music can actually have negative impacts on your studying effectiveness - particularly when it comes to memorizing something in order.

Dr. Nick Perham's 2010 study, "Can preference for background music mediate the irrelevant sound effect," explored how music can interfere with short-term memory potential.

"We found that listening to liked or disliked music was exactly the same, and both were worse than the quiet control condition," Perham discovered. "Both impaired performance on serial-recall tasks."

Listening to music may diminish your cognitive abilities in these situations because when you're trying to memorize things in order, you can get thrown off and confused by the various words and notes in the song playing in the background, Perham theorized.

Stanford University professor Clifford Nass had similar thoughts.

"Music with lyrics is very likely to have a problematic effect when you're writing or reading. Probably less of an effect on math, if you're not using the language parts of your brain," Nass said. "In my day, there was no way you could take music to the library. When [today's students] go to the library to study, they bring their noise, and music, with them."

Today, it's easier than ever to bring your music with you wherever you go as music has become inherently portable. We listen to music while we walk, cook, drive - when we want to feel happy or relaxed. Music has become a fundamental part of our lives, which is why students are so eager to know whether it will negatively or positively impact their studying.

Because music can impact and regulate your mood and the best mood to study in is a more relaxed mood, choosing music that helps you relax but also with enough beat or rhythm to ensure you don't zone out while studying is crucial. But music that's too loud or with too much of an upbeat tempo can also be distracting, so having a playlist or specific artist you turn to for studying music can really help.

If you're the type of person who has more difficulty multitasking and is easily distracted, listening to music while studying may just cause your attention to drift to the music rather than help you concentrate on your material.

If you're really set on listening to music while studying but know your focus will probably end up divided, choose classical music or more acoustic music with minimal words to distract you. Movie scores, which typically consist of a bunch of orchestral pieces, may also be good background music for you to study to.

So basically, the final decision about studying while listening to music is up to you - do you feel you concentrate better with Taylor Swift or Hozier singing in the background? Or do you find yourself thinking of the lyrics to the song rather than what you're supposed to be studying?

Music's effects on study habits will vary from person to person, and can also be affected by what you're listening to - the genre of the music, how loud it is, etc.

Personally, when I need some background music to study to, I'll usually make a more acoustic playlist consisting of songs by Joshua Radin, Cary Brothers, and Ed Sheeran, with some of The Fray and Goo Goo Dolls thrown in, too.

But in order for you to study the most productively, you need to figure out the effect music has on your studying ability, and then tailor your studying playlist - be it silence or music - to best suit your needs and efficiency.

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do or don't: studying while listening to music

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Do Or Don't: Studying While Listening To Music

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Second semester is well underway, which means midterms and other tests are looming ahead in the not-too-distant future and that it's time to once again question how studying while listening to music can affect a student's studying efficiency.

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"Music that is soothing and relaxing can help students to beat stress or anxiety while studying". "Effects on reading comprehension and on mood, making focus more difficult".

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Benefits of Studying with Music

More and more, students are bringing headphones with them to libraries and study halls. But does it actually help to listen to music when studying? While the so-called 'Mozart effect', a term coined from a study that suggested listening to music could actually enhance intelligence, has been widely refuted, there are still many benefits of listening to music while studying:

Music that is soothing and relaxing can help students to beat stress or anxiety while studying.

Background music may improve focus on a task by providing motivation and improving mood. During long study sessions, music can aid endurance.

In some cases, students have found that music helps them with memorization, likely by creating a positive mood, which indirectly boosts memory formation.

Drawbacks of Listening to Music while Studying

And still, despite these benefits, studies have shown that music is often times more distracting than it is helpful.

Students who listen to music with lyrics while completing reading or writing tasks tend to be less efficient and come away having absorbed less information.

Loud or agitated music can have adverse effects on reading comprehension and on mood, making focus more difficult.

Students who use music to help them memorize sometimes need to listen to music while taking the test in order to reap the benefits of this study method. In the silent test-taking environment, these students may find it more difficult to recall the information.

Ultimately, the effects of music on study habits are dependent on the student and their style of learning. If easily distracted, students should most likely avoid music so they can keep their focus on their work. Conversely, students who function better as multi-taskers may find that music helps them to better concentrate.

Building Better Study Habits

If you're wondering how to improve your memory and study skills, Study.com offers course materials on cognitive perspectives and cognition that include training on improving short- and long-term memory, retrieving memories and forming better study habits.

These resources feature fast and convenient video lessons that can be viewed in about five minutes, plus lesson quizzes to check your comprehension of the material. You'll also find a jump feature that lets you return to key points in each video or skip through info you already know about.

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is it good to listen to music while studying? | study.com

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Is it Good to Listen to Music While Studying? | Study.com

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More and more, students are bringing headphones with them to libraries and study halls. But does it actually help to listen to music when studying?