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A neuroscientist explains why you should stop listening to music while you work - Business Insider

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A neuroscientist explains why you should stop listening to music while you work - Business Insider

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Talks about how one should listen to music 10-15 minutes before working to calm the brain and get prepared for working.

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Since I was gifted a new pair of headphones this past holiday season, I've developed a habit of listening to music while I work.

I've been absolutely amazed by how much more productive and creative I am with Pandora's Mozart or "classical guitar" station playing quietly in the background.

Curious as to what exactly was going on in my brain during these listening sessions, I reached out to Daniel Levitin, a cognitive neuroscientist and the author of " This is Your Brain on Music."

"Not to rain on your musical parade," he told me, but those listening sessions are likely making me less productive.

Cue the record scratch.

"You're having so much more fun," said Levitin (who's also a musician), "that you feel more productive."

He cited a growing body of research suggesting that, in almost every case, your performance on intellectual tasks (think reading or writing) suffers considerably when you listen to music. Consider this 2010 study, which found that people performed worse on a memory task when they listened to music in the background, compared to when they worked in quiet.

A better bet, according to Levitin? Listen to music for 10 to 15 minutes before you start working.

He explained that listening to tunes you enjoy can put you in a better mood and relax you. Your brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which gives you a "warm feeling of pleasure." You may also get a hit of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which elevates your mood and can make it easier to focus.

Unfortunately, Levitin said, listening to music also takes up some of your attentional capacity, meaning that if you listened to it while working, you'd have fewer resources left to direct toward the task at hand.

The exception is when you're performing tasks that are repetitive or monotonous, such as when you're working on an assembly line or driving for long periods of time.

In those cases, Levitin said, it's easy to get bored, so music can increase your arousal and help you pay more attention to your work.

Levitin said he applies the scientific research on music and productivity in his own life. When he's studying or writing, he works in quiet and takes breaks for either music listening, exercise, or simply being in nature, all of which can be restorative.

But when he's doing a relatively dull task, like his accounting, he often puts on music (he's also a fan of Pandora's classical guitar station).

Another reason why I might have mistakenly believed that music was helping my performance? Simply wearing headphones - especially when you work in a busy newsroom like I do - can help you focus.

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A neuroscientist explains why you should stop listening to music while you work

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Since I was gifted a new pair of headphones this past holiday season, I've developed a habit of listening to music while I work. I've been absolutely amazed by how much more productive and creative I am with Pandora's Mozart or "classical guitar" station playing quietly in the background.

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What Happens to Your Brain When You Listen to Music

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What Happens to Your Brain When You Listen to Music

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Music helps one's mood and say concentrated.

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Music may be the secret to improving test scores, staying focused, and improving your mood.

You may have heard that music can help you focus, increase your test scores, or improve your memory. Pretty remarkable, really. Music affects us in incredible ways.

There's no shortage of music in the world, especially given the myriad cultures, genres, and the vast number of websites and apps available-music is now more accessible than ever before.

Music can affect your mood

The easiest way to understand why music has such a powerful effect on the mind is to monitor brain activity while someone is listening to music. Columbia University developed a machine that effectively does just that. The results show different parts of the brain that are activated when a song is playing.

Most people have different music preferences, but interestingly enough, taste in music isn't the most important factor-an emotional connection is. When a song that a person seems to enjoy is playing, the limbic system (the part of the brain that controls emotion) shows much more activity. As a result, music that evokes emotion can have a direct effect on one's mood.

Music can help connect people and make us feel like we're not alone. It's the reason we have music at parties, funerals, graduations, and in movies. In a 2011 study, participants completed a task and then were falsely told they performed poorly.

One group was left in silence afterward, while another group was placed in a room with positive music playing. Those who heard the music after reported that they were more hopeful about future tasks than those left in silence.

Music can help you to focus

Can music really help you focus? Yes-but it depends on the type of music. "Music with lyrics is very likely to have a problematic effect when you're writing or reading," said Clifford Nass, professor at Stanford University. Classical music or instrumental genres have been used more frequently to help students study.

Furthermore, a 2013 study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine concluded that musically trained children had stronger everyday listening skills than those who had no music training. The same listening skills are also closely related to a child's ability to pay attention, keep sounds in their memory, and understand speech through background noise.

21 Songs That Should Be Part of Your Workout Playlist

In today's world of customization-and with music at your fingertips-you can now enjoy all the benefits of music, anytime you want. So go find some stellar tunes and increase your brain activity!

Looking for more healthy living content? Check out other healthy living articles here.

SelectHealth may link to other websites for your convenience. SelectHealth does not expressly or implicitly recommend or endorse the views, opinions, specific services, or products referenced at other websites linked to the SelectHealth site, unless explicitly stated.

The content presented here is for your information only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, and it should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Please consult your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns.

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What Happens to Your Brain When You Listen to Music

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Music may be the secret to improving test scores, staying focused, and improving your mood. You may have heard that music can help you focus, increase your test scores, or improve your memory. Pretty remarkable, really. Music affects us in incredible ways.

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(44) Should You Study with Music? | The Science-Backed Verdict - YouTube

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(44) Should You Study with Music? | The Science-Backed Verdict - YouTube

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Everyone is different and it depends on how one is as a person and if music works for them.

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Should You Study with Music? | The Science-Backed Verdict

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Should You Let Students Listen to Music in the Classroom?

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Should You Let Students Listen to Music in the Classroom?

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Teacher and student thoughts on listening to music.

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Deciding whether to allow students to listen to music in the classroom is a modern teacher's dilemma. Every single time students need to write an essay or work on a problem, they say, "Can I put my headphones on? I think better that way!" But is that really true? Does music help or hinder concentration? Is there a difference between listening to Bach vs. Lil Yachty, or Skrillex vs. Bad Brains? I know what my high school students say, but I wanted to find out what science had to offer.
Further Reading: How to Make Technology in Classrooms Effective and Exciting
Silence Really Is Golden

Research offers little to back up the idea that listening to music improves concentration. In one of several small Taiwanese studies, 133 participants performed reading comprehension tasks while listening to either light classical music, hip hop, or no music at all. Students who performed the reading tasks in silence scored the highest. Music with a higher intensity (such as hip hop) was more distracting and had a greater (negative) effect on task performance and concentration.

Volume plays an even more important role than the type of music played. One study found that the louder the music, the worse the cognitive performance. Further, the type of music didn't matter-eschewing expectations, classical music didn't enhance performance. Data from this study revealed, once again, that silence was the best environment "to maximize performance when engaging in cognitive activity."

There is a positive aspect to music's effect on work performance. Studies have revealed that listening to music leads to positive changes in mood, as well as increased creativity. In fact, in "music-listening work cultures," which students are certainly part of, there's actually a psychological withdrawal when the musical stimulus is taken away.

What the Students Say

Even so, it's hard to convince my students that music doesn't help their concentration. Taj, a senior, sees his music as his muse. "I wouldn't be able to concentrate if I were listening to music and trying to read," he told me. "However, when I write, I feel like music helps me concentrate deeply. I don't have writer's block. It's easy for me to put my words on paper."

"Maybe not with reading, but when it comes to math, listening to music definitely helps," Danela told me. "You could actually be singing along with what you're listening to and doing well in math."

My Thoughts As a Teacher

My own anecdotal evidence reveals that students see listening to music as a "reward." They refute the research that says that the brain loses focus when multitasking and they argue that listening to music helps them tune out distractions. When they listen to music when writing essays, my students usually begin working immediately and almost always hand in a product. But the question remains: Would that final product be better if the student was not listening to music?
Further Reading: A Teacher's Love for Punk Rock Music Helps Her Connect to Students
This is an area begging for more research, especially as it applies to high school and middle school students. Our students have grown up using headphones daily, so the question remains whether a certain amount of adaptation would make results from today's teens different from the results of an adult or students from the past. For now, I don't think I'll completely ban music in the classroom; I'll continue to allow students to self-monitor and rock on.

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Should You Let Students Listen to Music in the Classroom?

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Here's the advantages and disadvantages to allowing tunes in class.

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Does Music Help You Study: Science Says There Are Many Benefits

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Does Music Help You Study: Science Says There Are Many Benefits

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This source states music is good and helps one focus to get work done.

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With that highly detailed Biology exam just around the corner, you have been hitting the books with every spare second you have. During nightly, starlit studying sessions, you continuously trudge past midnight, and the hours multiply. What if there was a more beneficial practice rather than spending hours upon hours of silence studying in your bedroom?

The Theory

You have likely heard before that music helps you study. But, do you know why parents and professors alike are urging you to tune to iTunes? Studies have shown that music produces several positive effects on a human's body and brain. Music activates both the left and right brain at the same time, and the activation of both hemispheres can maximize learning and improve memory. Find out music's effect on your body and brain, and see how to enhance your studying with songs!

Proven to Ease Student Stress

In the middle of a busy semester, students' stress runs high. This is the perfect reason to study your class notes with music playing, - it is proven to help reduce stress!

Music is a way to process emotions and strengthen their resolve while being overwhelmed. People often turn to the music they can relate to as it helps them deal with stress in this way. So, if university life has got you feeling a bit down, dazed or distracted then it might be a good idea to put some music on while you study. Not only will it help you concentrate on your studies, it will also help keep stress at bay and put you in the learning mood.

Reduce Test Anxiety

Anxiety can become a crippling blockade between students and their textbooks. How can students beat it? Let's pretend you were offered a free, soothing massage during each study session for the duration of your college years. You would feel lower levels of anxiety and tension as you reviewed your notes. While this might be a difficult feat for the typical college student to attain, the next best thing is readily available to pupils all over the world. Believe it or not, USA Today reveals, "one study found that music's effect on anxiety levels is similar to the effect of getting a massage" (Christ). It is official; your favorite tunes can reduce anxiety as much as a massage! Anxiety-stricken students should pop in the earbuds before heading to the library. They will feel relaxed, at ease, and ready to conquer chapter after chapter.

If you're like many students suffering from anxiety and stress, try listening to rap music while studying. A study done by Cambridge University showed that hip-hop music provides an uplifting effect on its listeners that can help them accept, manage and deal better with mental health issues. There's more than one genre of rap, so find the one you like if it means giving your brain that extra bit of support it needs.

Improve Your Performance

Music is found to help people perform better in high-pressure situations, such as the bi-annual high-pressure event that is finals week. Studies have shown that music can help students transform from coal to diamonds, shining under pressure. USA Today asks, "Want to sink the game-winning shot when the pressure's on? Listen to some upbeat tunes before the big game. . . basketball players prone to performing poorly under pressure during games were significantly better during high-pressure free-throw shooting if they first listened to catchy, upbeat music and lyrics"(Christ). This relates to anyone combating high-pressure situations, including you and your studious peers! Grab that 80's style boom box and turn the volume up!

It can even cure pain!

So, you arrived at the last Conquistadors basketball game, prepared to perform better after a little music therapy. Excited and energized, you played all of your best moves on the court, until you sprained your ankle landing a slam dunk. Ouch! Now, every time you attempt to study, your mind only focuses on the pounding pain in your ankle! Have you tried studying with music? According to USA Today, music is so powerful to the body that it can actually help ease the pain. Studies show that music can meaningfully reduce the perceived intensity of pain, especially in geriatric care, intensive care, or palliative medicine.

Your ankle pain and your midterm stand no chance against your favorite album and focused mind! Similar to how a lullaby would calm you, listening to music can also help you relax as by lowering your blood pressure, easing muscle tension and increasing your attention span.

It will help you focus more

Rather than distracting college students, a Stanford study found that "music moves [the] brain to pay attention." Researchers utilized musical compositions from the 1800s in their study and found that "music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory" (Baker). They believe that music choice was influential in brain processing, revealing, "The goal of the study was to look at how the brain sorts out events, but the research also revealed that musical techniques used by composers 200 years ago help the brain organize incoming information" (Baker). Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven can help students categorize information, which is an influential asset to studying.

Proven to improve brain functions

Musical activity serves as a cognitive exercise for the brain which trains it for more challenges in the future. Therefore, people who have musical training early on, specifically before age seven, have healthier brains and are less likely to suffer from debilitating diseases like Alzheimer's or Dementia. But you don't have to wait for a certain age before benefitting from music. Regardless of whether you're a freshman or senior, you can start exercising your brain now, simply by having your favorite device and earphones handy for any study session.

Music, Memory, Emotions

Several studies in recent years have linked music, memory, and emotion. To back this claim, Petr 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 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.

Ever wondered why it's easier to memorize the lyrics to a song than the periodic table of elements? That's because your brain looks for patterns to better understand, recall, and process information. It's the same reason why music producers always put a hook in their songs since what is more commonly known as the earworm or catchy bit.

"Earworm" was coined in 1979 by psychiatrist Cornelius Eckert. It happens when a part of the song gets stuck in your head for an extended period of time and you can't get it out. It just so happens, this is also one way of improving your brain's memory, which is why some language courses are set to a musical pattern of ear-catching melodies. Some even suggest that the benefits don't necessarily depend on the kind of music you listen to, but rather how effectively your brain latches on to the pattern of the song.

End Your Study Session with Classical Music

We now understand that music and memory are strongly linked in the brain, and that music can be beneficial to study. All that studying, however, has made you exhausted! You close the textbooks and lay beneath your blankets, but your mind is still buzzing from all of the information you've acquired. Can't sleep? Well, music can even help you close out the night after studying. "Listening to classical music has been shown to effectively treat insomnia in college students, making it a safe, cheap alternative to sleep-inducing meds" (Christ).

We Want You To Succeed!

Florida National University (FNU) is dedicated to helping our students succeed. While you continue to excel at FNU, please take advantage of our helpful resources. As the semester comes to a close, gain tips from our blog article, " 10 Ways to Prepare for Your Final Exam," and don't forget your headphones!

If you are not currently enrolled at FNU, browse our programs of study and apply now!

Works Cited

Baker, Mitzi. "Music Moves Brain to Pay Attention." Stanford School of Medicine. Stanford School of Medicine, 01 Aug. 2007. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

Christ, Scott. "20 Surprising, Science-backed Health Benefits of Music." USA Today. Gannett, 17 Dec. 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"Stress." University of Maryland Medical Center. University of Maryland Medical Center, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"Study Finds Brain Hub That Links Music, Memory and Emotion :: UC Davis News & Information." UC Davis News & Information. UC Davis, 23 Feb. 2009. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

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The Benefits of Studying with Music - Florida National University

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Does Music Help You Study? With that highly detailed Biology exam just around the corner, you have been hitting the books with every spare second you have. During nightly, starlit studying sessions, you continuously trudge past midnight, and the hours multiply. What if there was a more beneficial practice rather than spending hours upon hours...