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Pros and Cons: Listening to Music While Studying for Optimal Focus

Alecia Steen

Integrating music into your study routine may seem like a mere method of enjoyment, but it transcends this perception. It is, in fact, a powerful cognitive tool that has been proven to have remarkable effects on our learning capabilities. Research continues to shed light on the profound influence of music on studying, unveiling an array of benefits that contribute to more effective, focused, and enjoyable learning experiences.

Advantages of Studying With Music

1. an impressive aid in studying.

Venturing into the depths of how music helps us study, it’s essential to recall Dr. Gordon Shaw’s groundbreaking theory, ‘ The Mozart Effect ‘. This theory originated in the 1990s when Shaw extensively studied brain theory and spatial reasoning in problem-solving. His research with students led to the intriguing conclusion that frequent exposure to Mozart’s “ Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major ” boosted their IQ by nine points.

Not only does music provide a pleasant background for studying, but it also enhances endurance, keeping students engaged for extended periods. The persistence needed to master new material often clashes with the monotony of the task. Music comes into play here, transforming the tedious process into an engaging, even enjoyable experience.

2. A Powerful Catalyst for Focus

Music plays a crucial role in maintaining focus during study sessions in the era of endless distractions. It acts as a gentle, steady undercurrent, tuning out external disturbances. As you immerse yourself in your study material, music provides a consistent, comforting backdrop, allowing your mind to anchor itself firmly to the task.

Music mitigates the whirl of distracting thoughts and allows your brain to steer its attention to studying. It’s akin to a cognitive anchor, helping your brain bypass the temptations of wandering thoughts and bringing them back to the study material.

3. An Incredible Instrument for Concentration

Scientific studies, including brain imaging scans, have highlighted the effect of music on concentration. Listening to music activates the brain’s left and right hemispheres simultaneously, significantly bolstering learning abilities. By triggering different areas of your brain, music helps maintain its agility and health. Thus, nurturing your ability to concentrate by merely tuning into some serene sounds is within your grasp.

The influence of music on concentration is multifaceted. It helps reduce anxiety and facilitates healthy emotional processing, leaving your brain free to concentrate on the task at hand.

4. A Potent Enhancer of Academic Performance

Incorporating music into learning curriculums has repeatedly proven beneficial, significantly improving academic performance. For example, a primary school in Bradford achieved a remarkable rise in SATS results by merely integrating more music into the curriculum.

5. A Dynamic Motivator for Studying

One of the most profound challenges in studying is sustaining the motivation to persist through complex material. Music, with its varied tones, rhythms, and melodies, injects an element of enjoyment into the learning process, rekindling motivation and interest.

Creating a personalized learning playlist can serve as a backdrop to your study routine. Listening to your favorite tracks can inspire focus and stimulate your eagerness to learn, thus making studying an enjoyable endeavor rather than a dreaded task.

6. A Proven Memory Booster

Music is a well-recognized mnemonic device. It triggers the memory centers in the brain, making recall more manageable. To put it simply, music can play a vital role in helping you remember what you’ve studied. The melody and rhythm of music can link to specific information, making it easier to retrieve when needed.

Songs with catchy lyrics often get stuck in our heads. This phenomenon, often referred to as an “ earworm ,” can be put to productive use in learning. Pairing important information with melodies can help you remember details with greater accuracy.

7. A Mindful Way to Manage Stress

The soothing power of music is no secret. Numerous studies show that music can significantly reduce stress and anxiety levels. When you’re feeling overwhelmed by your study load, listening to relaxing music can help restore calm, allowing you to refocus and study more effectively.

Music has a unique link to our emotions; thus, it can serve as an extremely effective stress management tool. It can be a powerful medium to connect with our feelings, helping us process them more healthily and ultimately enhancing our ability to learn.

8. A Creative Pathway for Problem Solving

Disadvantages of Music During Study Sessions

While the benefits of integrating music into study sessions are indeed substantial, it’s crucial also to be aware of its potential drawbacks. Just as music can enhance cognitive function, it may hinder optimal learning under certain circumstances. Understanding these potential pitfalls is essential to leverage music’s benefits while minimizing its potential for distraction or inefficiency.

1. A Potential Distraction

While music can promote focus, it can also have the opposite effect, particularly when it contains lyrics. Lyrics can interfere with the processing of linguistic information, such as reading or writing. In essence, your brain may struggle to focus on the study material because it’s also attempting to process the words in the song. This is especially true if the music’s language aligns with your study material.

Moreover, complex musical compositions with intricate harmonies and melodies can similarly draw attention away from the task at hand. Rather than serving as a gentle backdrop, such music can command cognitive resources, leading to divided attention.

2. An Interrupter of Deep Learning

Research suggests that silence is sometimes more beneficial for complex tasks that require deep cognitive processing. Some learners may find music interrupting their thought process, making solving complex problems or grasping challenging concepts more difficult. Deep learning requires an undisturbed mental space, and music can fragment this continuity for some individuals.

3. A Misleading Sense of Mastery

Listening to music while studying can create a more enjoyable learning environment, which can sometimes lead to an inflated sense of understanding. Research indicates that students who study with music tend to believe they’ve learned the material better than they actually have. This can be problematic when it comes to recalling and applying information during an examination or in a practical setting.

4. An Unwanted Emotional Influence

While music can help manage stress and enhance mood, it can also evoke strong emotions that might distract from studying. For example, a song that reminds you of a particular event or person might trigger a flood of memories and emotions, leading your mind away from the study material.

5. A Potential Cause of Overstimulation

Listening to music while studying can lead to sensory overload, particularly for individuals with certain learning styles or neurological conditions. For instance, individuals with ADHD may find music overly stimulating and distracting. Similarly, individuals with auditory processing issues or those who are particularly sensitive to sound might find that music more hindrance than a help.

While music can indeed be a powerful tool to enhance studying, it is not universally beneficial. Understanding one’s learning style and preferences is vital to ensure the best use of music during study sessions. Just as the right kind of music under the right conditions can boost learning, the wrong type, or using it inappropriately, can have the opposite effect. Thus, balance and self-awareness are key when leveraging music in the pursuit of knowledge.

Does listening to music improve GPA?

No direct scientific evidence suggests that listening to music while studying will necessarily improve your GPA. The relationship between music and studying is complex and depends on various factors, such as the type of music, the task at hand, and individual learning styles. For instance, some students may find that certain types of instrumental or classical music improve their concentration and subsequently enhance their study effectiveness. However, the potential impact on GPA would also depend on many other factors related to study habits, comprehension, test-taking skills, and so forth.

Is it better to listen to music while working or to work in silence?

The choice between working with music or in silence is largely personal and can depend on the task at hand. Silence may be the best option if the work involves complex cognitive processing or linguistic comprehension, as it allows for deeper concentration. On the other hand, for more mundane or repetitive tasks, music can make the process more enjoyable and may help maintain focus. Importantly, music without lyrics or with a consistent rhythm tends to be less distracting. The key is understanding your work style and the nature of the task.

Why does music help me focus with ADHD?

Research has suggested that individuals with ADHD can benefit from listening to music during tasks that require concentration. Music, particularly with a steady rhythm, can stimulate the brain’s production of certain chemicals like dopamine and norepinephrine, which play crucial roles in attention and focus. Moreover, listening to music can make the task more enjoyable, which may improve motivation and persistence in individuals with ADHD. However, this isn’t universally true for everyone with ADHD. The type of music, the task, and personal preferences all play a role. Trying different approaches and seeing what works best for you is important.

Final Thoughts

The role of music in study and work environments is complex and multifaceted. The effects it has on productivity, focus, and creativity are contingent on a multitude of factors, including the nature of the task, the type of music, and the individual’s personal preferences and learning style. While research provides some guidance, the final decision on whether to incorporate music into study or work routines rests upon trial and error, as individuals gauge what methods best optimize their performance and well-being.

Furthermore, it’s essential to consider the limitations and potential drawbacks of this practice. Music can enhance mood and focus and can also be a source of distraction, particularly when engaging in complex cognitive tasks or when the music includes discernable lyrics. Hence, finding the right balance is crucial. Music is a tool that, when used strategically, can potentially improve both productivity and enjoyment in work or study environments. It underscores the importance of personalizing our learning or working styles, aligning our habits to our unique preferences, and continuously experimenting with ways to optimize our performance.

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March 3, 2020

Does Music Boost Your Cognitive Performance?

The answer depends on your personality

By Cindi May

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

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Music makes life better in so many ways. It elevates mood , reduces stress and eases pain . Music is heart-healthy , because it can lower blood pressure , reduce heart rate and decrease stress hormones in the blood. It also connects us with others and enhances social bonds . Music can even improve workout endurance and increase our enjoyment of challenging activities .

The fact that music can make a difficult task more tolerable may be why students often choose to listen to it while doing their homework or studying for exams. But is listening to music the smart choice for students who want to optimize their learning?

A new study by Manuel Gonzalez of Baruch College and John Aiello of Rutgers University suggests that for some students, listening to music is indeed a wise strategy, but for others, it is not. The effect of music on cognitive functioning appears not to be “one-size-fits-all” but to instead depend, in part, on your personality—specifically, on your need for external stimulation. People with a high requirement for such stimulation tend to get bored easily and to seek out external input. Those individuals often do worse , paradoxically, when listening to music while engaging in a mental task. People with a low need for external stimulation, on the other hand, tend to improve their mental performance with music.

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But other factors play a role as well. Gonzalez and Aiello took a fairly sophisticated approach to understanding the influence of music on intellectual performance, assessing not only listener personality but also manipulating the difficulty of the task and the complexity of the music. Whether students experience a perk or a penalty from music depends on the interplay of the personality of the learner, the mental task, and the music.

In the study, participants first completed the Boredom Proneness Scale , which is a personality test used to determine need for external stimulation. They then engaged in an easy cognitive task (searching for the letter A in lists of words) and a more challenging one (remembering word pairs). To control for practice and fatigue effects, half of the subjects completed the easy task first, while the other half completed the challenging one first. Participants finished both tasks under one of three sound conditions: (a) no music, (b) simple music or (c) complex music. All of the music was instrumental, and music complexity was manipulated by varying the number of instruments involved in the piece. Simple music included piano, strings and synthesizer, while complex music added drums and bass to the simple piece.

The data suggest that your decision to turn music on (or off) while studying should depend on your personality. For those with a high need of external stimulation, listening to music while learning is not wise, especially if the task is hard and/or the music is complex. On the simple task of finding A’s, such subjects’ scores for the music condition were the same (for simple music) or significantly worse (for complex music) than those for the silent condition. On the complex task of learning word pairs, their performance was worse whenever music was played, regardless of whether it was simple or complex.

For those with a low need of external stimulation, however, listening to music is generally the optimal choice. On the simple task of findings A’s, such participants’ scores for the music condition were the same (for simple music) or dramatically better (for complex music) than those for the silent condition. On the complex task of learning word pairs, the participants showed a small but reliable benefit with both simple and complex music, relative to silence.

The results suggest that there are substantial individual differences in the impact of music on cognitive function, and thus recommendations regarding its presence in the classroom, study hall or work environment may need to be personalized. Students who are easily bored and who seek out stimulation should be wary of adding music to the mix, especially complex music that may capture attention and consume critical cognitive resources that are needed for successful task completion. On the other hand, students with a low need for stimulation may benefit significantly from the presence of music, especially when completing simple, mundane tasks.

Before students decide to slip in their earbuds, though, they should carefully consider both their musical selection and the nature of the task. All of the music used in the present study was instrumental, and lyrical music will likely be more complex. Complexity appears to increase arousal, and the Yerkes-Dodson law suggests that a moderate level of arousal produces optimal performance. When there is too little or too much arousal, performance drops. Thus, the benefits of music for those with a low need for external stimulation that were observed here could diminish or even disappear with the added complexity of lyrics.

Similarly, increases in the complexity of a cognitive task might also reduce or eliminate the benefit of music. Although the “complex” task used in this study (learning word pairs) was only moderately challenging, the increase in complexity, relative to the simple task, was enough to reduce music’s positive effect. With a highly challenging cognitive task (e.g., text comprehension or exam preparation), even those with a low need for external stimulation may fail to show such an effect with music.

With the right (low-need-for-stimulation) personality, the right (instrumental) music and the right (low-to-moderately-difficult) task, the presence of music may significantly improve cognitive functioning. Given the many other physical, emotional and psychological benefits of music, that subscription to Spotify just might pay for itself!

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FNU Tips The Benefits of Studying with Music

The Benefits of Studying with Music

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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 of silence studying in your bedroom?

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

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).

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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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7 Benefits Of Listening To Music While Studying

Photograph of the blog post author, Annika Hope

Annika Hope

Knuckling down to some revision can be hard. So what can you do to make your study time more effective and productive?  And what exactly are the benefits of listening to music while studying?

There are proven benefits of listening to music while studying , but it has to be the right kind of music. Research has shown that music can help you focus, concentrate, relax, feel motivated, improve memory and make the process much more enjoyable . 

Read on to find out how it can help with your academic performance, and what you should be adding to your playlist, for the most successful study periods.   

Benefits of listening to music while studying  

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

Have your parents, teachers or lecturers been encouraging you to plug into Spotify or iTunes while studying? If so, there’s a good reason behind it. You may be aware of the benefits of studying music, but did you know that there are many benefits to listening to music while studying all sorts of topics.

There are some caveats of course. Certain types of music work better than others and some subjects and learning approaches aren’t as conducive to using background sounds. But for the majority of students, there are a host of benefits.  

How is music beneficial to students?  

There are few things music doesn’t improve – be it a night out, meal, car journey, long flight, gym session or brisk walk. If you enjoy listening to music (and perhaps even if you don’t) music can motivate you, keep you studying for longer, make it more enjoyable and increase your cognitive function. We’ll be looking at the science behind the theories and experiences of many people.  

Advantages of listening to music while studying

#1  music helps you study  .

In the 1990s Dr Gordon Shaw developed a theory called The Mozart Effect. He had studied brain theory and spatial reasoning in problem-solving for decades. Following a period of research with a group of students, he deduced that their IQ had improved nine points, by frequently listening to Mozart’s “Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major.”

Scientists carrying out further studies didn’t always find the same results. So it seems it does vary from person to person. But one thing’s for sure, listening to Mozart – or similar sounds won’t make you less intelligent and it’s likely to do the opposite.  

How does music help you study?  

There are many ways music helps you study. One of the ways in which it improves your performance specifically in this area is by keeping you going longer. Less isn’t more when it comes to learning and by increasing your time spent revising, you’ll take in a great deal. But let’s face it, studying can be tedious and boring.

Playing music, especially for subjects you find dull and less inspiring can make it more interesting, meaning you won’t throw in the towel and stop as quickly as you might, without some accompaniment. Music = endurance.  

Is music bad for studying?  

Music can be bad for studying if it changes too rapidly. Seek out more sustained sounds with longer repetitive tracks. Don’t change songs frequently or use medleys. Many people say they find the music less useful for language study and reading fiction – the latter is likely because it requires your brain to imagine and visualise the world of the book.  

#2  Music helps you focus   

Endurance + focus is a great combination. But do you have a wandering mind? If you find yourself thinking about everything except work, as soon as you open your books, your problem may be in focus. Music is an ideal remedy when reading dry, factual textbooks, learning facts or solving problems.  

Why does music help you focus?  

You may find your mind wanders easily when carrying out these activities. Adding gentle sounds will provide a kind of white noise background, allowing your brain to zone into what you’re doing, rather than entertaining itself with background distractions, like intermittent traffic noise or voices.

There are times when your body and mind do need some silence. So be careful not to always fill every gap with sound. Take time every day to remove audio stimulation completely allowing your ears and mind to rest.  

How can listening to music help you focus?  

In this video, you’ll learn a little more about how it can help you focus on the task at hand and when listening to music doesn’t work so well for achieving focus.  

#3  Music helps you concentrate   

Similar to helping you focus, gentle music will enable you to concentrate on what you’re doing. Brain imaging scans show that music activates both the left and right sides of the brain at the same time – the activation of both hemispheres simultaneously can intensify learning abilities. Firing up different areas of your brain helps it stay in shape. Brain cells are known to die from inactivity – so use them or lose them! And boosting your brainpower can be as easy as listening to some lovely sounds.  

How does listening to music help you concentrate?  

As with the other benefits we list in this article, it does depend on what you’re listening to. Give the metal and miss and pop on some Classic FM or chill out sounds. Listening to music when you’re not studying can also have positive effects on your ability to concentrate when you do knuckle down to some work too.  

How does music affect concentration?  

Music helps reduce anxiety and process emotions in a healthy way. This leaves your brain free to concentrate on what you’re doing, rather than being plagued by worries and trying to sort through your feelings. Have you ever noticed how much better your mind works following some meditation or a massage? You can think more clearly and problem-solve more effectively. The same applies to the right kind of music exposure.  

#4  Music affects academic performance  

A primary school in Bradford made the news when it saw its SATS results dramatically improve after incorporating more music into the curriculum, despite being in a very deprived area, and usually producing poor academic performances. As so many of the students speak English as a foreign language, music breaks down barriers and enables greater degrees of communication, satisfaction and achievement.  

It has long been known that those who study music often do better in maths too. And introducing music at a young age aids cognitive development. If you have kids, enrolling them in music lessons often has a lot of advantages beyond simply learning an instrument (although that too is a super life skill).  

Does listening to music affect academic performance?

Researchers at Cardiff Metropolitan University tested reading comprehension with music and found that the subjects found it harder to concentrate with music present. But this was particular to reading and while there are no conclusive studies available to fully prove a comprehensive improvement in academic performance, there are many who find that it has a positive effect overall.

This is no doubt because of the mixture of benefits delivered. It is, as we’ve mentioned, also very dependent on whether your tunes of choice are likely to put you off.  

How does listening to music improve academic performance?  

Another reason academic performance might be affected is the ability for music to move the brain to pay attention. A study at Standford University used brain imaging to discover that peak activity often happened, during moments of silence within a longer musical movement. Music helps the brain sift events, allowing it to hone into the things that matter, better.  

#5  Music helps motivate study (so you enjoy it!)  

One of the biggest challenges with studying is actually knuckling down to it, then sticking at it once you’ve started. Add in some of your favourite tunes and it takes on a whole new lease of life. Create your very own learning playlist for a soundtrack to your study. Do you have a motivational song you listen to before going on stage or doing an audition? It’s a similar concept. Pick songs that get you in the zone. Focus on the outcome of your efforts and get excited about it.  

Listening to music while studying research  

We often talk about the positive effects singing has on the brain and body, improving mental and physical health. But you don’t necessarily have to make music yourself to reap some of the rewards. Scientists have discovered that listening to music releases dopamine in the brain. This is a feel-good chemical.  

Some of the benefits have to do with the vibrations of sound, others are associated with the ebb and flow and musical arcs experienced when listening.  

Listening to music while studying – an experiment  

We’ve talked a little about the types of music you should listen to. In this experiment using undergraduate medical students, many reported that it was distracting to have a soundtrack. Those listening to soft music reported 75% more correct answers than those listening to fast tracks. The message is – don’t use your dance beats, or electronica when studying if you want to do well academically.   

#6  Music improves memory   

If you’re a singer , this is a brilliant opportunity for some multi-tasking. The act of learning lyrics and the notes helps improve your memory and even fights against longer-term illnesses such as Alzheimer’s.

Your brain is a muscle, so the more you memorise and learn, the better it gets at it. And this crosses over from performance to academia. Listening to music improves mood and a positive emotional state is also linked to better memory.  

How can I improve my memory for studying?  

Learn a new song a week and you’ll soon impress your mates with your fantastic ability to remember facts and stories connected to your school, college or uni work. There are lots of tricks to help you remember things – try different ones to work out which suits you best. Here are some great tips and suggestions you might like to try.  

Listening to instrumental music while studying  

Memorising lyrics is a great way to boost those brain cells, but don’t attempt to do it while trying to study. Keep the two actions separate – use words to practice and exercise the memory, and then use wordless music to study with.

Try to avoid instrumental tracks of songs you sing. If you hear the melodies while working, you’re likely to automatically start singing the lyrics in your head. In terms of memory function, this is great, as it means you’ve cemented them in place. But it will put you off your thread when doing other tasks that require concentration.  

#7  Music helps you relax  

Music is excellent for your overall mental health and in aiding relaxation. The more relaxed and calm you are, the better you’ll feel and the more you’ll achieve academically. Stress is a big problem for students and is counter-productive, but can be hard to combat. Anything that helps relieve these feelings and promote wellbeing is likely to up your game and make you happier in the process. So it makes sense to include music in your work and personal life.  

How does music help relieve stress?  

As you listen to music , your heart rate often syncs in time with the rhythm. Because of this, people who regularly experience stress are often advised to listen to music that lowers the heart rate to a normal resting beat (classical music is a common favourite for this). If you’re feeling nervous, with a fast heartbeat and sweaty palms before an exam or performance, pop on some calming music, focus on sustained breathing and close your eyes. You can actually induce a state of calm and slow your heartbeat to a resting rate this way.  

What kind of music is good for studying?   

How do you want to feel when studying? Some people like to get the adrenaline flowing, although this is more likely to be beneficial in an exam type scenario, or when cramming, when you need a quick boost of energy.

For sustained, lengthy study sessions in which you need to absorb information or write a dissertation, you’re usually better off with something calm and chilled – but no so relaxing you drift off to sleep! Jazz, folk and classical are great genres for studying.

Streaming sites and YouTube are packed with great playlists, so you don’t have to spend valuable study time compiling your own playlists.  

Disadvantages of listening to music while studying  

Disadvantages tend to come with the wrong choice of music. Avoid anything with lyrics as this is more likely to distract and encourage singing along. Similarly, stay away from your absolute faves. Even without lyrics, you’re likely to tune into the melodies you love best.

For some people, any sound at all is distracting and the less external stimulation present when studying, the better. If this is you, find a quiet indoor spot without any screens (unless they’re directly connected to what you’re doing). And put your phone on silent and out of reach – notifications are the worst culprits for putting you off your stride.  

If you love to listen to music, then this will no doubt be good news. But the message is, don’t let your favourite playlists reign over your study time. Use music that best fits the task. It does help if it something you quite like, from a motivation perspective, but they shouldn’t be your top tunes. It’s also a great opportunity to expose yourself to different genres and periods.

Classical music tends to be less popular with younger people, but it can be a great source of study friendly compositions. Expand your musical experiences to styles you wouldn’t ordinarily pick and you may just up your grades in the process.   

Related Questions  

  • What per cent of students listen to music while studying?  

A recent survey estimated that around 60% of students use music to help with studying. Previous studies have suggested around 50% do so. So it’s likely that at least half will have some when working – you’re certainly not alone if you like to have your favourite playlist while studying. 

  • What are the benefits of listening to music in class?  

There’s something really powerful about a shared music experience and it’s not limited to choirs. You can learn theory and explore the creativity of composition with fellow students. It also helps keep the group calm and centred.  

  • Is it bad to study with music on?  

It depends what you’re listening to and whether it’s distracting or encouraging. You might need to experiment with different tunes to find what works for you, not against you (and it might not be your usual go-to albums).  

Have you found the benefits of listening to music while studying? What genre of music do you find is best and do you have any favourite albums or artists for it? Tell us what you think in the comments below. 

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Does Listening to Music Really Help You Study?

Experts from the department of psychology explain whether or not music is a helpful study habit to use for midterms, finals, and other exams.

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By Mia Mercer ‘23

Picture of girl studying with headphones

Students have adopted several studying techniques to prepare for exams. Listening to music is one of them. However, listening to music may be more distracting than helpful for effective studying.

There’s no season quite like an exam season on a university campus. Students turn to varying vices to help improve their chance of getting a good grade. While some chug caffeine, others turn up the music as they hit the books.

Although listening to music can make studying more enjoyable, psychologists from the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences have found that this popular study habit is more distracting than beneficial. 

“ Multitasking is a fallacy; human beings are not capable of truly multitasking because attention is a limited resource, and you can only focus on so much without a cost,” cognitive psychologist Brian Anderson said. “So when you’re doing two things at the same time, like studying and listening to music, and one of the things requires cognitive effort, there will be a cost to how much information you can retain doing both activities.” 

In basic terms of memory, Anderson explained that we do a better job of recalling information in the same conditions in which we learn the material. So when studying for an exam, it’s best to mimic the exam conditions. 

“If you have music going on in the background when you study, it’s going to be easier to recall that information if you also have music on in the background when you take the exam,” Anderson said. “However wearing headphones will almost certainly be a violation during most exams, so listening to music when you’re studying will make it harder to replicate that context when you’re taking an exam.” 

Even though experts suggest listening to music can hinder your ability to retain information while studying, some students choose to continue the practice. Steven Smith, cognitive neuroscientist for the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences , provided some suggestions for students who wish to continue this study habit. 

 “In general, words are distracting,” Smith shared. “So if you want to listen to music while you study, try to listen to something that does not have words, or if it does have words, hopefully, it’ll be in a language that you don’t understand at all, otherwise that’s going to distract from the stuff you’re trying to study.”

Smith also suggested listening to familiar background music, because it’s less distracting than something new or exciting. Additionally, Smith provided some principles that generally result in better exam results. 

“Make sure your studying is meaningful because comprehension gets you so much further than raw repetition,” Smith shared. “Also, you must test yourself, because it’s the only way you can learn the material; this is called the testing-effect. And finally, try to apply the spacing-effect, where you spread out your study sessions rather than cramming your studying all together, allowing for better memory of the material.”

Regardless of how students decide to study for exams, it’s important to remember that we all learn differently.

“There are individual differences between everyone,” Smith said. “Some people need a study place that is boring, predictable, and exactly the same so that they can concentrate, and others find it more beneficial to go to different places to study. It’s true that there are different personalities, so try and find what study habit works best for you.” 

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Studying to Music Can Put Your Brain in the Right Frame of Mind

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

What do Spotify, Pandora, iTunes and YouTube all have in common? If you said they’re some of your favorite go-to sights to hear your favorite music, then you may want to tune in more often. Did you know that studying to the right kind of music can make you feel less stressed, more focused and dare we say it, smarter? It’s true.

Let’s face it, no one likes to study. But how cool is it that music can be just what you need to get through the books easier while making your studying more productive?  Pretty cool, right? Want to hear more? Sit back, grab your headphones and learn how studying to the right kind of music may be more than just music to your ears.

Benefits of studying to music

Do you listen to music while you study, or do you prefer total silence? The jury is out on which is better since everyone is different; however, several research studies are proving that listening to the right kind of music can put your mind into study mode.

Here are some of the benefits of tuning in to the right tunes:

  • Relaxes the mind
  • Increases concentration
  • Lessens distractions
  • Improves focus
  • Improves performance in high-pressure situations, such as mid-terms and finals week

Best genres to study to

Music is universal, and everyone’s tastes are different. You might be experiencing that right now with a roommate or a group of friends. What soothes one person might drive the other one to pull their hair out. Sound familiar? Since we all have different personalities, music preferences and even study habits you’re probably wondering which type of music is best.  We’ve done the homework for you (you’re welcome) with some suggested genres and examples of each that may help put your brain in the right frame of mind. Take a listen.

Classical music—Mind-boosting effect helps with mathematics

Before you dismiss classical music as “not your thing,” it’s worth a try. You’ve most likely heard of Mozart, one of our world’s greatest classical composers, but have you heard of the Mozart Effect ? A group of studies found listening to Mozart can cause a temporary “enhancement of spatial temporal reasoning performance,” which means the ability to think through long-term, more abstract solutions to logical problems.  In fact, the Mozart Effect has little to do with listening to Mozart and more to do with listening to music that activates a certain part of the brain. Even Albert Einstein was a fan of Mozart!

When it’s crunch time and you’re burning the midnight oil, try listening to Baroque classical music. Composers such as Bach, Vivaldi and Handel are known for their up-beat music composed of 60 beats-per-minute. Studies revealed those who listened to music that played at 60 beats-per-minute showed a dramatic reduction in stress and an increased sense of relaxation It’s become a popular choice when you need to get work done.

Here are some benefits of listening to classical music:

  • Improves test scores
  • Reduces learning time
  • Improves creativity and clarity
  • Integrates both sides of the brain for more efficient learning
  • Raises IQ scores

Sounds of nature—Keeps your brain engaged by increasing concentration

Have you ever tried studying in a noisy room? It can be annoying and frustrating to say the least. Calming music Nature sounds such as waterfalls, rain and the seashore, for example, can be extremely effective in masking white noise.

Here are some benefits or studying to the calming music of nature sounds:

  • Masks voices and white noise which can be distracting
  • Enhances cognitive functioning
  • Optimizes concentration

Songs without lyrics—Great choice when reading and writing

The last thing you need is more words in your head when you’re reading your textbooks or writing a paper. Listening to songs without lyrics is a great way to stay focused without distraction.

Brian Eno’s Music for Airports —Chill-out electronic music for serious studying and deep concentration

You may want to crank this up for your next cramming session before your big exam. This album was specifically designed to relax stressed out travelers at airports. It’s also been shown as an effective tool when it’s time for serious studying and deep concentration.

Creating a playlist

It may sound obvious, but research revealed brain function decreases when you listen to music and sounds you don’t enjoy, making it difficult to focus and concentrate. So, be sure to choose music and sounds that make you happy.  Here are some tips for creating your playlist:

  • Create your playlist in advance so you’re not fumbling to find a new song every few minutes.
  • Keep your playlist to around 40-50 minutes—this is a great reminder to take a study break when it’s over. Plus, it helps you plan your study sessions to meet your concentration level.
  • Avoid listening to the radio. Dialogue between radio personalities and commercials can be distracting.
  • Turn it down. Listening to music at a moderate level is best.

With the new semester kicking off, now is the best time to start creating your playlist so it’s ready to go when you need it. Happy listening!

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Drowned in sound: how listening to music hinders learning

In his series of articles on how psychology research can inform teaching, Bradley Busch picks an academic study and makes sense of it for the classroom. This time: listening to music while studying

  • Read more Lessons from Research

There is a wealth of psychology research that can help teachers to improve how they work with students, but academic studies of this kind aren’t always easy to access or translate into the realities of classroom practice. This series seeks to redress that by taking a selection of studies and making sense of the important information for teachers, as we all seek to answer the question: how can we help our students do better at school? This time, we consider growth mindset.

Many students do their homework and revision while listening to music. Many of them will swear that listening to their favourite songs makes them study better . But does music help or hinder learning? And does it matter what type of music you listen to while revising?

Researchers from the applied psychology department of Cardiff Metropolitan University led a study to answer this question. The authors, Nick Perham and Harriet Currie, assigned students into one of four groups: the first revised in silence, the second revised while listening to music with lyrics they liked (which included songs from One Direction and Katy Perry), the third group revised to music with lyrics they did not like (which comprised of very heavy metal bands), and the fourth group revised listening to music without lyrics.

The participants then took a test on the passages they had been revising, rating how distracting their environment had been, as well as writing down their predictions for how well they thought they had done.

What are the main findings?

  • Students who revised in quiet environments performed more than 60% better in an exam than their peers who revised while listening to music that had lyrics.
  • Students who revised while listening to music without lyrics did better than those who had revised to music with lyrics.
  • It made no difference if students revised listening to songs they liked or disliked. Both led to a reduction in their test performance.
  • Students who revised in silence rated their environment as less distracting and accurately predicted that this would lead to better performances in subsequent tests.

Related research

There are some benefits to listening to music while performing certain tasks. It can be quite motivating and it can improve mood (listening to your favourite song tends to make people smile, for example). But it does not help people learn new or complex material.

The misconception that music does help us learn stems from a series of studies linked to the “ Mozart effect ”, which found that people performed better on a series of cognitive tasks after listening to 10 minutes of Mozart. Participants in these studies appeared to be getting smarter and performing better in tests.

However, further research has since revealed this is not the case. While listening to music before a task can make someone feel better, listening to it while trying to learn something new tends not to help. This is because music – especially tunes with lyrics – can take up processing space. This conflicts with the material you are trying to learn, effectively creating a bottleneck in your memory, as there is less space to process what you are revising.

What does this mean for the classroom?

It is important that students are made aware of the pitfalls of listening to music when revising. Perham and Currie’s study found that students rated the quiet environment as less distracting and better for them, yet many students continue to listen to music during their homework. Why? Perhaps they’re doing so out of habit, or they confuse what improves their mood with what leads to good revision, or it alleviates boredom. Perhaps it’s simply because everyone else is doing it.

Students need to know how to revise well. There may well be a time and place to listen to music during the course of their revision, but not when they are learning new and complex material. After all, silence is golden.

Bradley Busch is a registered psychologist, director at InnerDrive and author of Release Your Inner Drive . Follow @Inner_Drive on Twitter, and get advice on improving memory and a visual summary of this research on his website

Follow us on Twitter via @GuardianTeach , like us on Facebook , and join the Guardian Teacher Network the latest articles direct to your inbox

Looking for a teaching job? Or perhaps you need to recruit school staff? Take a look at Guardian Jobs , the education specialist

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Why to Listen to Music While Doing Homework

listening to music while doing homework

Music is a proven tool that can help you concentrate. However, it’s not easy for some people to focus when even a light sound reaches their ears. Some people can even forget instantly that they were looking for essay writing help by Essayhub.com and remember about it when it’s too late. It can be also a sign of irritability but can be fixed with the help of music as well. The trick is to test what music your mind perceives better.

Psychologists constantly repeat that a person should adhere to the schedule and strict regime to increase their work efficiency.

It is important to create the same work environment while doing your homework. Your table should be free of distracting things, and you should have enough light not to strain your eyes. Besides, your chair should be comfortable enough not to cause tension in your muscles. And you should turn on classical music in the background if you want to completely focus on monotonous work and immerse yourself in implementing your tasks. Besides, they recommend putting on “special” clothes for homework and making a certain “ritual” before the beginning. All these stereotypical, permanent things allow you to get ready for doing your mental work and increase your efficiency. If you turn on music every time you start doing your homework, it becomes one of these stereotypes that triggers your mental activity. Thus, when I am going to write my essay , I turn on the same musical composition every time, so my brain tunes to exactly this task. So, what benefits can you get from listening to music while doing your homework?

It helps quickly relax before learning

Specialists from the US Department of Homeland Security conducted a musical experiment and confirmed that music helps cope with stress. The study was based on combinations of different frequencies, durations, and amplitudes of tracks, which their test subjects were listening to; they watched their state and ability to relax. Most of the soothing compositions were variants of classical pieces close to Chopin’s music. Such music reduced the level of cortisol in the blood, had a sedative and analgesic effect. Thus, if you want to relax after classes and distract yourself a bit, you can turn on appropriate music for about 10 minutes. Another option to reduce stress is to order an essay paper to meet a deadline.

It helps concentrate

If you find it difficult to force yourself to start doing your homework, you should try to find motivation and create the right conditions for comfortable brain activity. Scientists have found that Mozart music and similar compositions increase alertness and improve concentration. According to a Stanford University Medical Center report, music affects areas of the brain associated with concentration and memory development. Scientists conducted a study using MRI. They tracked which parts of the brain are most active. Experts have concluded that Baroque music, written in past centuries, helps people gather their thoughts and process a rich flow of information.

It improves memory

Mozart music helps significantly improve memory and activate neural connections that affect cognitive performance. Scientists divided the participants into several groups, and each of them was listening to Mozart and Beethoven’s compositions. As a result, it was noted that those who listened to Mozart’s sonatas had increased intellectual indicators. People remembered new information better and were less biased about solving an unfamiliar problem. Another group of participants that was listening to Beethoven didn’t show such obvious changes, so the results of the experiment were called the Mozart effect. Thus, if you want to improve your memory and learn everything faster, play Mozart compositions in the background.

It helps deal with noisy roommates

It often happens that people who coexist in the same space interfere with each other’s work. Thus, you can live with a roommate who is fond of talking and who doesn’t care about your presence and necessity to keep silent. So, you can get distracted by such a person, their endless phone calls, and conversations. Noise-canceling headphones and music can help solve this problem. While doing your homework, music can become the only possible way out if you don’t want to go to the library, of course.

But in addition to homework, students often have to write essays on various subjects. Someone does not have free time, and someone does not have enough writing skills to perform such a creative task. Online services for students write test papers, essays, dissertations, etc. Written papers are interesting to read, they always correspond exactly to the task at hand. But how to choose a proven service? On essaysadvisor.com , you can find detailed reviews of companies that specialize in student help. This way, you will save a lot of time on the search.

It helps increase creativity

Suppose you don’t want to die from boredom while working on some monotonous assignments. In that case, you can put on headphones, set the desired volume, choose your favorite playlist, and immerse yourself into the process with bigger pleasure. Be that as it may, loud music is unlikely to help when it comes to work that requires activation of the right hemisphere. It turns out that the average noise level is a kind of creative catalyst. By complicating the process of processing information, background noise stimulates abstract thinking and tunes the human brain into a creative work mode. That is why public places, such as cafes, dams, and parks, attract creative people.

It helps feel blue without consequences

Music psychologist Stefan Kelsch has concluded that listening to sad music positively affects empathic qualities and helps a person cope with problems. He believes that the listener associates themselves with the performer and empathizes with them. Currently, the brain regulates emotions, allowing you to let out negative emotions. Such sadness does not cause consequences on a par with real sadness that arises in difficult situations. Thus, sad music promotes the experience of pain without harm to a student’s psychological health.

It helps boost dopamine production

The hormone dopamine is produced as a reward for achieving goals and helps create a good mood. A study with a tracing of neural mechanisms using tomography showed that the subjects experienced an increase in blood flow during the experiment, activated parts of the brain responsible for emotions, excitement, and motivation. Listening to music that you like activates the brain’s reward system on a par with eating sugary, fatty foods, or socializing with loved ones.

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Listening to Music While Doing Homework/Studying Lead To Better Results?

While sitting down to study in the Findlay Commons I look around and notice all the different study habits between students. A certain study habit is more effective for someone in comparison to others because all brains work differently when trying to integrate memorization or muscle memory.  A study shows the most effective study habits include practicing by yourself, memory games, and going to your own quiet place. Those ways are typically the way I study. But, when I walk around the commons I notice more people than not wearing headphones and studying. I never really understood the reasoning of listening to music while studying because it is another voice in your head that takes away the sole purpose of memorization. Since I never understood the meaning for this interesting study habit, I researched whether music leads to better results for those that listen to it.

musicstudy

I tried to listen to music while studying and could not focus on the task at hand. But, a study shows that music is beneficial when studying. A study done by Elana Goodwin states, “ 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.” The researchers typically compare this to the Mozarts Effect. For those who do not know, the Mozarts Effect is a study that shows while listening to Mozart’s music one receives a short-term improvement in their capabilities.

listen-to-mozart-while-working-e1422667099111

But, I found a flaw in there correlation with Mozarts Effect. I walked up to 10 different kids in the Findlay commons that were studying for a quiz or midterm and listening to music. I proceeded to ask them what genre of music they were listening to and whom. The responses varied from rap, to pop, to country, but none of them had Mozarts’ pieces playing in their earbuds. The survey take was very small, but typically high school/college students who have proven to benefit from listening to music while studying are listening to different genres.

Another study done also proves that listening to music can effect studying. But, the studying must be an organizational related study. Perham, the researcher involved in the study claims, “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.” The organization of one’s study can be altered because of the words or beat that is constantly in one’s head. The music genre does not matter, the sound effects the performance in itself.

The studies shown prove that music can be both beneficial and digressive. Differentiating between the type of study someone is engaged in plays a key factor. Also, the person’s tolerance level to noise and whether they use it progressively can determine whether they listen to music while studying. Studying should not be based off other peoples’ opinions of how study. There is no better way to study but your own because different study habits make one more comfortable in comparison to others. This study shows that I should not be so quick to judge other students and how they study because maybe they find it beneficial. Some people succeed when put in specific scenarios, and one scenario I will never find useful is music during study hours, but people are different and results vary.

Works-Cited:

1.) http://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/149570/Do-Or-Dont-Studying-While-Listening-To

2.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1281386/

3.) http://psychcentral.com/lib/top-10-most-effective-study-habits/2/

4.) http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2012/10/08/does-music-help-you-study/

8 thoughts on “ Listening to Music While Doing Homework/Studying Lead To Better Results? ”

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While studying, some people prefer to listen to music. Others need total silence, it just depends on who you are and what helps you study. The reason why some people need to listen to music is to either crete a background noise, or to relax them and lower stress levels. It has been proven that stress levels are decreased by music. The student could possibly be stressed out over what he or she is studying for, and the music would bring that stress level back down. Additionally, music can relax people to the point where their attention is 100% focused on what they are studying. The music just creates this calm throughout their body and enables them to concentrate extremely hard on what they are doing. Aside from making them feel better, the music will block out excess noise in the room from other students whispering to each other or the rustling of papers. These are all the positive effects music should have on studying. If the music is causing a negative effect on studying I would highly suggest changing study habits, but that’s a given. Over all, each person is different and if their “thing” while studying is music than so be it, let them listen to music. There is no way it can harm the others around them, who are probably too focused with their own work to notice them anyway.

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Earlier in the blog period, I created a similar blog asking the same question. This is a topic that generally interests me as I alway do my homework with music playing in the background. However, I always want to make sure that I am working in an efficient manner. So if that means changing my listening preferences and saving an hour of time I would normally spend changing the song I’m interested. The one aspect that your blog as well as mine both concluded was that music while studying strictly is based upon the individual. There are a number of confounding variables that come into play that can influence this data. For example, genre, tone, volume, rate, and whether or not the person is accustomed to working with music can all make a difference in their performance. I have attached a link to the blog post I made regarding the same subject, I hope it can add some more information to this subject. http://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/10/19/23167/

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I agree with you, I cannot study with music on. It distracts me too. However, I have witnessed the same thing, many students here at Penn State have their earbuds in whenever they are doing work, so clearly your findings are correct- results vary and everyone is different. If you want, you can read this article, it has a lot of information on this topic too 🙂 http://college.usatoday.com/2012/09/10/should-you-listen-to-music-while-you-study/

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I found your blog interesting because I always listen to music while I study. I just find it calming and relaxing and helps me read at a faster tempo. It seems there are some theories on the impact of music and studying. Some scientists say that if you’re doing any language-related work your should stay away from music with lyrics tied in because your mind will try to process what the song is saying and will ignore the mental process of the reading/writing being done. It seems like the theory also states that if you’re doing math related work music with lyrics might not be so problematic.

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While scrolling through posts this one immediately intrigued me, most likely because i am currently listening to music and often do while studying. From my perspective, I have found listening to music while doing work very beneficial, but the genre is very important to me. I actually have found that rap may have a negative effect while studying but listening to old artists like ludwig van beethoven keeps me extremely focused on the task at hand. Definitely not the most exciting music, but it gets the job done.

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I’m with you whenever I try to put on music while studying it completely messes with my train of thought. I can’t focus, instead I am the person who just keeps changing the song and not able to find one I like. In the car I am the person who listens to half a song then gets bored and changes it. But, I am the person who can watch TV while studying and doing homework without issue. I put on my netflix show and just let it play. I have found that I relate certain things I was studying or reading to something I heard from the show that was playing. Here is a personal blog from someone who also feels that TV helped them to study.

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I have studied listening to Mozart before, and completed assignments this same way as well. There have also been times were I couldn’t focus because the music was too drawing to my attention. My only question would be could this depend on the topic that I was studying?

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I found your blog post to be very interesting. As I study in Findlay Commons as well I constantly find myself looking around at others studying and I easily become very distracted. I usually put my headphones in and listen to music while studying, I have noticed that this enhances my performance as I am able to block out any other sounds. I enjoyed reading about all of the studies conducted on this topic, and find it interesting to read about the different effects that music can have on ones studies. I found an article that weighed out some positives and negatives on listening to music while studying. It includes some great points as well so I hope you give it a read!

http://college.usatoday.com/2012/09/10/should-you-listen-to-music-while-you-study/

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benefits of listening to music while doing homework

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Should You Let Students Listen to Music in the Classroom?

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benefits of listening to music while doing homework

by Nancy Barile, Award-Winning Teacher, M.A.Ed.

Music in the classroom helps some students concentrate, but may be distracting for others.

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.

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?

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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10 Positive Benefits of Listening to Music

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

Isn’t it amazing how listening to a specific song can bring back some memories and would make you feel so alive, calm, or energetic? Human is naturally gifted to determine the distinction between noise and music. The brain has various passageways for refining various sections of music counting in the pitch, tempo, rhythm, and melody. Upbeat music may heighten blood pressure, heart rate, as well as breathing. Slower music, on the other hand, appears to create the contrary result of upbeat music.

Although the impact of music on people is not completely understood, scientific studies have demonstrated that listening to a piece of music that you like will make the brain produce a chemical known as dopamine – a chemical that creates a pleasant effect on the mood. Music has the ability to make us feel extreme emotions like sadness, happiness, or fear. Based on the study of some researchers, music can have an influence on improving well-being and health.

The Origin of Music

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

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There are plenty of theories that discuss where and when the music started. Certain historiographers think that music occurred even before the occurrence of humans. They have classified music into 6 eras. Every era is categorized by the modification in the style of music. These alterations have patterned the music we are fond of listening to now.

The very first era was the middle ages. This period symbolizes the start of the musical notations and polyphony. Polyphonic music and monophonic music were the two major kinds of music that were famous during that era. The next era developed a new kind of music known as organum. The next era was the Renaissance, wherein the holy music started to spread in different schools. It is also in this era that instrumental music and dance music were being performed hugely. 

English madrigal also began to prosper during the late period of renaissance. After this, the Baroque age came. This period is characterized by various experiments done on music. Opera and instrumental music began to develop during this age. Classical age followed. The kind of music converted into basic melodies from the extreme ornamental music during the baroque age. Music that was composed during this era is called the Viennese style. Then came the Romantic age. During this period, the composers of music included very intimate emotions in their composition.

The composers began to utter their emotions through music. Now came the 20th-century music. This period is characterized by various improvements and modifications which were done in music. New kinds of music were composed. Technologies were also formulated, which improved music quality.

Understanding the Role of Music in our Life

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

Music is the ultimate creation formulated by a human. Creativity in the genuine and absolute form is the actual meaning of music. A lot of people have already realized the importance of music in their lives as it is a common method of conveying their feelings and also their emotions.

Some people treat music as a means to get away from the pain and struggles in life. If provides relief and lets you lower the stress you currently experience. Music is an effective therapy that works to make you feel calm, and when in a moment of joy, it will grant you the feeling of being cheerful.

Moreover, it improves the mind and develops self-confidence. Music delivers a more significant role in your life than merely being an origin of entertainment. Yes, you can be entertained by music, but there are plenty of reasons why you should adore music even more!

Why Music is Important?

Music is a lot more than how it is defined. Music occurs in everything that surrounds us. It can be seen in any part of the world. It guides people so they would be able to find themselves. It helps people overcome difficult moments. Music grants us a path to better express ourselves and displays our emotion deep inside that we do not normally allow people to see. The world recognizes the importance of music, and here are the common reasons why:

1. It is a method of expression

Music provides people a means to express their true personality through various patterns. Whether it be a singer, instrumentalist, or rapper, sharing music with others, being in a band along with other people, you can the real you through music.

Nowadays, a lot of people conceal their true personalities because they want to suit the preference of others because some individuals are scared that they will be rejected by the people that surround them if they show their real them. They simply keep themselves away from the crowd. Music is important since it provides people a means to reveal themselves.

2. It is a method of conversing how we feel

Music assists people in communicating their deepest feeling and emotion when they simply cannot find the right words to say. There are times in our lives that uttering our feeling to other people is simply difficult to do. However, with music, people can find the right words by either listening to various songs or composing songs. Music is important, knowing that it helps us use the right words to represent what we want to say.

3. It brings people together

Music can amazingly bring people together in various ways. Whether through similar preference in music, or the enthusiasm to get something new and unfamiliar, or even doing music with other people. A lot of people prefer similar styles or genres of music that are already obsolete. Being a member of a band or choir is another approach that utilizes music to bring people together. Music is important, knowing that people are brought together because of it.

4. It is present in everything

Music is present in any part of the world, and music associates with everything too. Music has been written in history ever since. It is also present in mathematics and science in various ways. Without the presence of music, life can be dull and boring. Music is most appreciated because it is felt everywhere.

Benefits of Listening to Music

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

Although more evaluations are yet to confirm the probable benefits of music towards health, certain studies imply that listening to music can do positive benefits:

1. Music develops happiness

This may appear obvious; however, the unrefined chemical reasoning is quite amazing to ponder upon. If you are in a stage wherein you badly need something that will boost you emotionally; you should know that it only requires around 15 minutes to listen to your favorite music to acquire a natural high. The brain produces dopamine, a kind of neurotransmitter which directs to improve feelings of excitement, happiness, and joy, once you listen to a piece of music that you are fond of.

2. Music lowers stress while improving the general health

Music develops an immediate effect on the hormones. Listening to your favorite music will trigger the lowering of the hormone cortisol, neutralizing the impacts of chronic stress. Around 60 percent of the entire diseases and illnesses are triggered by stress. Thus, reduced levels of stress would imply better chances of welfare.

Listening to music that is relaxing to the ear has been seen to lower anxiety and stress among healthy people and also to people who are going through medical procedures.

A study even demonstrated a result from a group of people that play different percussion instruments while singing. Their immune systems were boosted compared to those that were quietly listening. Although both groups showed favorable effects brought by music, the group of people who were playing instruments while singing exhibited better effects.

For ultimate benefits on a tiring day, play some music and sing together with the rhythm!

3. Music enhances sleep

Roughly over 30 percent of Americans are suffering from a condition called insomnia. A study has demonstrated that listening to a piece of music that is relaxing and classical one hour before going to sleep essentially enhances sleep, as contrasted to listening to a specific audiobook or merely doing nothing. Knowing that music can immediately affect our hormones, it can help if you play some wonderful music before lying in bed if you are longing to have a good sleep.

4. Music enhances exercise

Have you ever questioned why most people in the gym are playing music while they are exercising? Was there a time that you also wondered why they play the same kind of music? This behavior is being explained with the fact that music helps them do more exercises and for an extensive period of time. Studies imply that music will enhance physical stimulation, improve mental invigoration, improve general performance, and improve aerobic exercise.

There are several means of how music affects a person why exercising. As you may already know, music can make you feel calm; hence, you will be more at ease in executing a similar thing for an extensive period of time. Additionally, it grants you the encouragement to do a longer exercise.

The conclusion with exercising and music is that they are components that should always be linked to one another. Doing exercise without getting a piece of music to listen to will not be as effective if you choose to listen to music.

5. Music lowers depression

Music creates an immediate impact on the hormones. In fact, music can be treated as a kind of natural depressant because some tunes trigger the production of dopamine and serotonin in the brain, which directs to enhance emotions of happiness and welfare. It also produces norepinephrine – a kind of hormone that enforces a euphoric feeling.

Over 350 million people all over the world are suffering from depression, and 90 percent of these people also suffer from insomnia. The corresponding study discovered that manifestations of depression only lowered in people that listened to relaxing or classical music before lying in bed.

More studies also exhibited that some types of music can be helpful to people who have depressive manifestations. Amusingly, while relaxing and classical music improves positive moods, heavy metal can bring down people even more.

6. Music enhances the memory

Music is an efficient tool for improving memorizing skills. We all have experienced that we can easily familiarize a song and quite faster compared to familiarizing the syllabus. The reason behind is that the mind loves music. Thus, whatever the mind enjoys, it retains. This can be associated with the idea that whenever we have a great time of our life, that particular moment stays in mind forever and become a cherished memory. Hence, you should enjoy whatever you should learn.

Studies have demonstrated that the constant elements of melody and rhythm facilitate the brains to form a sequence that improves the memory. Listening to your favorite music will help you recall and adapt information more effectively, according to researchers. Although it relies on the degree to which music you like and whether you will play a musical instrument or not.

 A study has demonstrated that musicians learned more effectively with neutral kind of music, however, tested better along with the music which they liked. While non-musicians learned more effectively with positive type of music, however, tested better with a piece of neutral music. Hence, the level of performance differs between memory and learning for musicians and those that are not.

7. Music improves verbal intelligence

A study has demonstrated that 90 percent of children aging 4 to 6 had essentially improved their verbal intelligence after taking only a month of music lessons, where they know about melody, pitch, rhythm, and voice. The output implies that training on music does a “transfer effect” which improve the ability of the children in comprehending words, and more impressively, explaining their meaning.

More studies showed the same outputs among adult women who are musically trained and children that surpassed a group with no training on music on verbal memory tests.

8. Music improves IQ as well as academic performances

Research implies that taking lessons on music determine in advance high IQ scores and academic performances among young children. This observation has been concluded after surveying children aging 6 years old who either took vocal or keyboard lessons for 36 weeks. The outputs displayed that they had essentially improved their IQ and regulated their results on educational tests during that time compared to children who took other activities that are not related to music. The group with singing activities displayed the biggest improvement.

9. Music improves the mood during driving

Anyone will agree that music helps us get a better mood as well as help us focus better if driving. Based on a study conducted in the Netherlands, music may positively benefit the mood during driving and wherefore direct to safer driving habits compared to if you are not listening to any music at all.

10. Music improves performance on running

Runners who engage in music and listen to either slow or fast motivation music finished the first 800 meters faster compared to those who chose to listen to calm music or not listen to any music at all. If you have the hobby of running, listening to a piece of music will improve your capability.

Other than the obvious objective of entertainment, music plays an important part in the lives of people. Music is an essential part of our lives, and that fact will never change no matter what happens. Even the elders have felt the importance of music during their young ages and up to their recent years.

Music has been present for the longest time. After learning the benefits of listening to music, you would agree that music offers numerous advantages to the mood and health of people. You would want to maximize the power of music by enjoying its benefits.

Music develops the brain as well as the aptitudes related to it. It is particularly beneficial in improving the skills of young children as well as in teaching them. Music therapy works effectively in treating serious and certain chronic illnesses. It is then recommended that you listen to music every day. Moreover, the kind of music you choose to listen to may have particularly positive benefits. This means that each kind of music can do a distinct effect on the health and emotion of a person.

Although music is widely appreciated because of its benefits, there are some considerations that people need to weigh when listening to music. People should be cautious about the kind of music they will choose to listen to. For instance, there are certain songs that contain vulgar language or offensive words that must not be exposed to the children.

Else ways, these words might retain in the mind of the children, which is obviously not ideal for them. Parents, in particular, should take the responsibility of choosing appropriate music so their children will not be influenced by unpleasant and disrespectful words. Nevertheless, overall, music poses positive benefits to all people and must be made a daily habit. You can still enjoy the advantages of music while choosing appropriate music.

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Is Listening to Music while doing Homework OK: 21 best Songs

Music and homework

Listening to music doing homework

Listening to music while doing your homework has always caused divisions in its effectiveness. Some argue that it is advantageous, while others argue that it does not help.

As long as the music doesn’t affect your concentration, then there is no reason why you should not play several songs as you do your homework.

This will help you if you want to handle assignments well. However, if you have no time for that, you hire an assignment writer to do the job for you.

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

Need Help with your Homework or Essays?

Is it ok to listen to music while doing homework.

The answer to this question is twofold. Music can help put us in a better mood, which is good for studying. Music can also distract us, which is not good when studying.

It is OK to listen to music while doing homework if it does not distract you from your studies. In fact, if you get used to listening to your favorite songs, you can increase the amount of time you spend doing assignments. However, listening to music can be a distraction from your studies if you are not used to it or if it is not your favorite playlist.

For music to be effective when studying, the rate at which it disturbs you should be reduced, and the rate at which it makes you feel good should be increased. 

Liting to music doing homework

Research has shown that listening to music while doing tests can boost your scores.

This is due to the ability of music to stimulate parts of the mind that play a role in mathematical ability.

This theory about maths was debunked, and it was concluded that the main reason music can make you do well in tests is its ability to put you in a better mood.

Kids enjoyed more pop music than classical music.

Children who listened to pop did better in tests, as per the research. When music makes us feel good, we try harder, and our minds are willing to take on challenging tasks. 

Music can distract us when studying. When you are studying, your mind manipulates several types of information at once and music can distract that.

The working memory gets worse when listening to music with vocals. Vocals and music lyrics can decrease reading comprehension. Introverts are easily overstimulated and listening to music while studying can distract them more than extroverts.

Bill Thompson, a researcher based in Australia, found that the performance of people when studying can be decreased by listening to music that is both loud and fast.

Those who listened to slow and soft music were less distracted. The difference was not too big. The decrease in performance was minimal.

Therefore, it is fair to conclude that listening to music while you are studying is fine if it puts you in a good mood and it is not too fast or loud.

If you are not an introvert, listening to music while studying is less distracting. Less wordy music is fine to listen to while studying. 

Why Do Students Listen to Music While Studying?

If you turn on music every time you study, it can become a stereotype that can help trigger your mental activity.

Students listen to music while studying to trigger their mental activity as they study. Some report that they enjoy music playing in the background as part of the studying environment. Students also listen to music as a form of entertainment while doing homework, a task they find boring.

Listening to music studying

Music can prepare and tune your mind to do assignments.

The following are reasons why students listen to music while doing their assignments:

1. It Helps Students Relax before Learning

Music can help you cope with stress.

In research conducted by the US Department of Homeland Security, it was concluded that soothing music consisted of classical pieces, and it helped reduce the level of cortisol in the blood.

The music had an analgesic and sedative effect, too. Turning on the appropriate music can help you relax after a long day of classes and concentrate on your assignments. 

2. Improves Concentration

When it is hard for students to concentrate and do their homework, music helps them to find motivation. Music helps create conditions that are right and comfortable for brain activity.

Mozart music, for example, according to scientists, helps improve alertness and concentration. Students can gather information and thoughts as well as process a rich flow of information. Using MRI, scientists concluded that music affects the most active parts of the brain.

3. It Improves Memory

Soft music plays a significant role in activating neural connections that impact cognitive performance as well as improving memory. Soft music increases intellectual indicators.

It enables students to remember new information better and be less biased in solving very unfamiliar problems. Students can rely on soft music to learn faster and improve memory.

4. Helps Increase Creativity

The average noise level is an example of a creative catalyst. If boredom is killing you as you are working on several assignments, you can put on your headphones to your desired volume and set your favorite playlist.

This gives students some pleasure as they work on their assignments. Always note that loud volumes may end up ruining your concentration.

Background noises complicate the process of processing information and stimulate abstract thinking, hence tuning the brain into a creative work mode. 

5. Helps Deal with Noisy Roommates

Most students live together in school hostels. Roommates at many times interfere with each other’s work. A roommate can be a very talkative person and merely cares about the presence of others.

Sometimes, they don’t see the need to keep silent. Music and noise-cancelling headphones can easily help you deal with this problem. Music can be the only way you have to concentrate on your work if the library is closed. 

5. Music Helps Feel Blue Without Any Consequences

Music boosts the psychology of students. Students often think about their problems when they are studying. According to psychologist Stean Kelsch, positively listening to sad music affects emphatic qualities.

A student can then easily cope with problems. Students listen to performers, associate with them, and empathize with them. The brain then can control emotions and allow the student to let out negative emotions.

The sadness that comes with listening to sad music does not cause consequences that are the same as real sadness caused by difficult situations.

6. Music Motivates Students to Study

Students face the challenge of knuckling down to studies. Sticking to studies once you have started is also a problem among many students.

Students’ favorite tunes help them deal with this by creating a playlist of songs that get them in the zone. If you don’t feel like doing your homework , you can use music as a motivator.

why music when studying

They get excited about the assignment they are about to do and focus on the outcomes.

Listening to music helps release dopamine in the brain, which is a feel-good chemical, according to scientists.

Tracing of neural mechanisms using tomography was used by scientists in the study.

It showed that listening to music helps increase blood flow and activate the brain parts that are responsible for emotions, motivation, and excitement. 

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List of 21 Good Songs to Listen to While Doing Homework

The challenge when it comes to selecting music to listen to when doing your homework comes with the type of songs. Do not choose music that distracts your need to stay focused.

Everyone can have a different list of songs depending on their favorite playlists. The music preference can be piano, acoustic guitar, classical music, Jazz, reggae, or any other genre.

The following is an example of a playlist that you can listen to when doing your homework:

  • Jelly 292 –Jimi Hendrix
  • Don’t play with my heart – India Shawn
  • Death bed coffee for your head – Powu t Beabadoobee
  • Friends Don’t Look at Friends That Way – Tate McRae 
  • Say Something – A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera
  • The Birth and Death of the Day –Explosions in the Sky
  • What If I Told You I Love You – Alie Gate
  • I hate you, I love you – Gnash t Olivia O’Brien
  • Ad Astra Per Aspera –Acceptance
  • Out of My Mind- John Mayer
  • Happier – Olievier Rodrigo
  • Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX) –Pink Floyd
  • Guilty Cubicles –Broken Social Scene
  • Red-Eye –The Album Leaf
  • You Don’t Even Know – The Internet ft. Tay Walker
  • Open Eye Signal – Jon Hopkins
  • Symphony No. 40 in G minor, First Movement – Mozart
  • Canon. –Zox
  • Svefn-G-Englar –Sigur Rós
  •  Stone Cold Heart – Ana Whiterose x RUDENKO
  • Let Me Down Slowly – Alec Benjamin.

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Josh Jasen or JJ as we fondly call him, is a senior academic editor at Grade Bees in charge of the writing department. When not managing complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In his spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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benefits of listening to music while doing homework

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Music to Listen to While Doing Homework for Better Focus & Motivation

Different students have varied techniques they use when studying to enhance motivation, especially when doing homework. While some prefer a cool and silent environment, some concentrate more when studying or doing homework while listening to cool music.

Have you been experiencing boring moments when doing your homework? Well, maybe you need to try the idea of listening to cool music as you study. Some researches show that homework music boosts the understanding levels of students. The idea of listening to music while doing homework is to enhance motivation, and maximum concentration since many students find it boring when doing school work.

However, homework focus music varies in different genres. Not every music type will enhance concentration and focus. So, have you been searching for the perfect music to listen to while doing homework? Keep reading through this blog.

Top benefits of homework music

Is music distracting when doing homework? Many students will always wonder. However, research has proven otherwise. While some music can be distractive, some cool and relaxing music has proven to boost motivation and concentration for different students. Below are the top benefits of listening to music for homework:

  • Improves concentration

While studying, you exercise your brain intensively. This means you need to minimize as many distractions as possible. When your mind feels distracted, it is easy to lose focus and procrastinate doing homework. However, with some cool music, it is easy to keep focusing on the homework until you finish.

  • Music for homework eliminates boredom

Sometimes, studying can be boring, and you start feeling disinterested in doing the homework. At this point, you will need some ideas to spice up the moment, and that is where the music to do homework comes in.

Tune in to your favorite hits, and in no time, you will feel energized and realize you already love the studying idea.

  • Lowers stress

Can you imagine studying or doing homework with the exams almost coming up? You will feel all sorts of anxiousness and stress to some levels. While studying when stressed isn’t productive, listening to music when doing homework helps relieve some stress, thus improving the focus.

What type of music is good for doing homework

While some music will enhance your understanding and boost your focus when doing homework, some will make you lose focus doing homework. Below we have compiled the types of homework music to consider.

1. Ambient music

This is slow, dance, or electronic music that blends perfectly with the atmosphere. Different people will love this music type differently depending on their preferences. So, if the dance one works for go, go for it. If you enjoy electronic or slow music, go for it. Many college and university students prefer electronic music when studying. Be sure to get such kind of music from platforms like iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube, among others.

2. Instrumental Rock

Many students enjoy instrumental music when studying. This music type has fewer or no lyrics, and students love it because it is less destructive since they don’t have to sing along with the lyrics. 

R n b is among the best relaxing music genres. While such music is perfect for studying, avoid it if you love singing along to the song lyrics. You will be tempted to focus on the songs other than doing homework.

Again, this music can make you fall asleep easily and forget about studying. So, ensure you only listen to this music type when studying if you love it to improve the moment.

Music is known to heal the soul and brighten up moments. However, did you know that great music is a perfect motivation for students when doing homework? Be sure to try this strategy and enjoy studying.

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

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The Best Study Music: What to Listen to While Doing Homework

Singersroom Music

Students and music cannot be separated because they all love music and some can keep their players on an entire day. Music can help lift mood even when the student is alone in their rooms, relaxing outdoors, or walking. In the study room, not all music will be good when you are doing your homework.

You need to concentrate on getting the answers right because some types of music will just keep distracting you and you might lose an important point. The following music is good to listen to during homework time.

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

Hip hop is generally called hip hop culture because its lovers believe it promotes a music culture globally. Being one of the oldest music genres, Hip hop blends several tunes and vocals into one piece of a song that is vibrant, confronting, and celebrating life.

This is one of the styles of music a student can listen to while doing homework because it mostly speaks about real-life experiences and encourages a listener when they realize they are not the only ones experiencing a challenging moment. It can help encourage a student do homework even when they feel like the task is too difficult for them.

Other type of Homework help

If you want to do well in college, always make an effort to do all the homework your teacher assigns you. It helps improve learning and you will reap the good fruits of education. Despite your efforts to do your best and complete all academic work, sometimes you feel you need help. You don’t have to worry because Edubirdie can do your homework while you concentrate on your study. You can get help from their professional writers any time because they help every student according to their needs.

Country music

Country hits are mostly associated with things that touch on independence and freedom. The artists sing about situations they went through yet overcame. Some sing about terrible adversities like alcoholism, fighting, rejections, and such incidences and how they eventually overcame. Doing a ton of homework is not always easy because some assignments can be tough and complex. The student might feel it was not meant for them but if they can tune and listen to several country hits, they can start feeling encouraged and go on with their assignments.

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

Jamaican reggae is characterized by features such as amplified guitars, offbeat quavers, electric guitars, and a large number of drums. It is a genre that is more masculine than feminine and male students love this genre. Although it doesn’t have a unique rhythm, reggae reflects culture, values, and spirituality. Some researchers say listening to reggae can help students do better in math because the spirituality in reggae can help condition the mind to learn. If a student has some math to do in their homework subject, they might consider listening to reggae.

Classical music forms a combination of sophisticated tunes and vocals and this is what makes this genre popular. Researchers believe classical music nurtures the soul and helps grow the mind. Other studies say when a student creates a habit of listening to classical music, their language skills develop fast. They also benefit from improved spatial skills, reasoning skills, and better intelligence. These are benefits that can help a student do their homework better.

Instrumental

Instruments-only music was traditionally used as a substitute for vocals and to create music for dancing. Listening to this genre can help an individual learn better about other cultures and appreciate the expertise of instrumentalists. When used by a student, it can help boost critical thinking and improve development for creativity. These are important skills needed for higher student productivity.

Nature sounds

According to recent data, listening to recorded sounds of nature has many benefits to the mind. It helps reduce stress, pain and increase mood. The study further says listening to natural sounds helps an individual create a sense of safety and they can stop worrying about what is happening outside and concentrate on what is before them. A student can do their homework better when listening to recorded natural sounds.

Music has immeasurable benefits to students while at school, commuting, or relaxing. A student can listen to music to improve cognitive skills and enhance their memory. Students who create a habit of listening to music when doing their homework may enjoy doing their assignments without feeling stressed. Currently, there are over 1,000 music genres in the market and this gives a student freedom to choose which genre is best for them .

Author’s Bio:

Robert Everett is a leading writer and works for a marketing agency where is known for marketing collateral, brochures and PPT designing skills. He’s equally good in his freelancing job, where he helps students do their homework and essays on time and effectively. In his free time, he loves cooking Korean food, watching sports shows and learning digital art.

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Multitasking affects efficiency, quality of homework

Multitasking+affects+efficiency%2C+quality+of+homework

Neely Metz , Copy Editor December 10, 2015

Listening to music, eating or using a cell phone is an easy escape from the potential monotony of homework, but multitasking can be detrimental to the quality and efficiency of students’ work, despite making the job more pleasurable. 

“I listen to music, I text with my friends constantly, and I eat,” junior Sarah Hong said. “With songs with a really good beat I sort of work to the beat. Texting my friends, half the time I’m texting about homework, so it’s kind of more productive than social leisure.”

Ninety-eight percent of student respondents admitted to multitasking while doing homework, according to an online Broadview survey.

Despite its pleasurable effects, listening to music with lyrics slows down the learning process while doing homework, making it more difficult to recall information and decreasing efficiency, according to Academic Support Director Betsy Pfeiffer.

“It becomes tricky when both tasks have to access the same part of the brain,” Pfeiffer said. “If you’re trying to read and you’re listening to songs with lyrics in it, they’re both accessing the language part of your brain and it just makes it a lot slower to be able to process what you are reading. If listening to music is helpful for you, listen to music without lyrics.”

Although lyrical music may inhibit a student’s learning, music without words does not access the part of the brain that comprehends language, known as the Wernicke’s area, and does not interfere with study habits.

“When I’m writing English papers, I don’t listen to music because I tend to type what I’m listening to instead of what I want to say in my paper,” Hong said. “So that’s the time I don’t listen to music, or when I’m reading.”

When the learning process is decelerated by the brain trying to focus on two tasks at once, students are prone to making more mistakes than if they were focusing on just one task.

“Sometimes you have so much to do, you feel like multitasking can get it done quicker,” Pfeiffer said. “Some studies have shown that students make more mistakes than they normally would make because when they are shifting between two tasks, your brain has to take time to refocus on the task each time you go back to it. It is slowing down your cognitive processing and interrupting the continuity of learning.”

Texting while doing homework can also be a harmful form of multitasking, as it takes the brain longer to switch between texting and studying than students may assume.

“So let’s say I want to text with my friend, at the same time I have to write an essay,” Pfeiffer said. “When I go back to the essay, my brain has to actually go back and think about what I was doing before. You don’t think it takes away from your concentration because it happens so quick, but your brain is having to refocus on what you were doing before the quick text, so it’s taking you longer to actually complete the essay. ”

While most media-related forms of multitasking can be distracting to students working on their studies, some forms can benefit their focus and concentration on homework.

Eating while doing homework, although technically a form of multitasking, does not take away from a student’s language understanding, and can keep a student focused and less bored without causing a loss of attention.

“With eating, it helps refuel my brain so I can keep working,” Hong said. “I need those constant little breaks because I can’t sit at my desk for hours straight.”

Forty-seven percent of respondents in the Broadview survey claimed that multitasking, mainly stating eating or listening to music, either does not have a drastic effect on their homework quality or efficiency, or benefits their homework habits by helping them enjoy homework and preventing boredom.

“It works positively because I feel like I’m getting fun out of doing the work,” one respondent wrote. “It’s kind of like when you give a dog a treat at the vet, the dog may not like the vet but a treat can make his or her experience a lot more positive and will encourage the dog to want to come back. With this type of attitude I look forward to my work and therefore I complete it faster.”

Students involved in extracurricular activities that end late into the day have only a small window of time for both homework and other tasks.

“By the time I get a chance to do it, I don’t have time to do much else,” another responder wrote. “There is only so much time in the day, and I can hardly get all my work done at a decent hour, even when I sit down and start working right when I get home. I don’t have time to take many breaks, so I eat at the same time, and I like to listen to music. Music helps keep me awake and active.”

If a student’s multitasking habits are damaging to their academic career, Pfeiffer recommends finding better strategies and being more conscious of boredom while allowing occasional breaks to regain focus.

“Sometimes it’s okay to walk away from something and come back to it if you feel that you are not being productive, because in that time frame you’re not getting anything done anyway,” Pfeiffer said. “The key is to really figure out how you best study, when you are most productive and to be honest with yourself on what you want to accomplish.”

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Essential Benefits of Listening to Music While Studying

PGP Contributor

Many people believe that listening to music is entertainment that does not contribute to certain goals and interferes with learning. Many studies show the benefits of music and its positive effects on various thought processes. Today we are going to tell you about the essential benefits of listening to music while studying.

Helps With Concentration

Music promotes concentration on the learning process. It is best if you wear headphones. This will help to abstract from the environment and not be distracted by extraneous noise. This is especially true if you need to work outdoors or in a noisy environment.

It is best to choose instrumental music with a repeating main melody. A slow pace and pleasant sound samples will help you get work done faster and be more productive. The style of music depends on your personal preference. It can be classical compositions, rock music, rap, and any other variations.

The main thing is that each track does not irritate you. Then you cannot prepare. Even so, you have an alternative. You can get academic assistance online. It costs money, but writing services are the last line of defense against bad college grades.

Eliminate Boredom

There are cases when monotonous and monotonous homework can infuriate even a diligent student. In these cases, long-term concentration on something is simply impossible. Interesting music will help you distract yourself from the complex process and get a little pleasure from your favorite motives to abstract from the complex educational process. 

It’s good to get a little positive mood and be able to continue the difficult work. This will help you save time and not waste it. Also, it is important if you need to submit your paperwork

Stimulate the brain

When a student is required to do complex and structured homework, it takes a lot of effort. The brain can focus briefly on this task, but it needs to be stimulated. Difficult passages, interesting melodies, and different rhythmic patterns can stimulate the brain's hemispheres. Here are the benefits of this process:

  • Ability to tune in to long-term monotonous work
  • Desire to find answers to difficult questions
  • The motivation for long-term study of the selected topic
  • General improvement in mood

You no longer have to go to your friends with the question, "Who can write my papers for cheap ?" Now you will be able to figure out the issue yourself. This applies to mathematics, physics, and any other discipline in college.

Improves Motivation

Motivation is the main tool for improving your college performance. The music you enjoy can help you along the way. The point is that different musical patterns can activate specific areas of the brain hemisphere and contribute to your involvement in the process. Once you have musical compositions, you will be able to increase your productivity. It will also affect deadlines and help your university.

This is partly because the brain perceives music as a positive and beneficial process. You can disguise the process of preparing an essay or homework as listening to songs. Technically, you will know this is a trick, but your brain won't notice the trick. As a result, you will receive additional motivation to continue learning.

If this trick doesn't work, then you still have an alternative plan. Particularly complex tasks can be delegated to writing services. But don't forget that this is good as a one-off measure. Music still does most of the mundane tasks well.

Lower Stress

Comprehension problems in college can increase stress levels. As a result, you can get pretty low marks. Music is one of the solutions to this problem. You don't have to listen to this while preparing your homework. It is enough to spend 15-20 minutes quietly listening to pleasant music. The level of endorphins in the blood will rise, and you can continue your work.

Study Music Selection Guide

The main advice when choosing music for teaching is the personal preferences of each student. However, you can choose one of these items:

  • Classical Music
  • Nature Music
  • Cinematic Music
  • Music between 50 and 80 beats per minute
  • Video Game Music

Each of these options is good in its own way. You should test these types of music to find the best fit. Sometimes choosing the type of music can take too long. If you're not ready for this right now, some reliable writing services can quickly fix your problem. These options are intended for those who find themselves in a difficult situation and are not ready to solve it independently.

More Ways To Improve Your Studying

An alternative way to listen to music is dancing. You can combine listening to your favorite tracks and physical activity. This is especially effective if you spend a lot of time looking for information for an essay. Just 10-15 minutes of active fun, and you will get positive emotions. This is enough to continue the learning process

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The 7 Laws of Multitasking

The two main hazards (and two main benefits) of multitasking..

Posted December 16, 2014

The benefits and hazards of multitasking.

You’ve been told that multitasking is a bad idea. Articles and essays appear every day telling you why multitasking is dangerous, makes things take longer, tires out your brain, reduces the quality of your work, and lowers your IQ . And, for the most part, these warnings are all based on good research. 1, 2

But have you ever noticed that you still multitask in many ways, and it usually works out just fine?

The truth is that sometimes multitasking is a very bad idea, sometimes it doesn’t help, but also doesn’t hurt much, and sometimes it brings great benefits. The point of this essay is to help us tell the difference.

And, with that, I present the seven laws of multitasking.

Law One: Some tasks mix well.

In the simplest case, when you multitask, you have a primary task (task A), and a secondary task (task B). The primary task is your priority. The secondary task is tacked on as something else you can enjoy or accomplish at the same time.

Sometimes the two tasks will mix well. Here are some examples:

  • listening to music while practicing a sports skill
  • talking with strangers while waiting in line
  • listening to a talk radio program while driving (sometimes)
  • listening to music while working.
  • talking on the phone while cooking
  • cleaning a room while doing a weight workout
  • doing dishes while waiting for a video game to load
  • watching television while folding laundry
  • listening to an audiobook while exercising
  • drinking coffee while talking with a friend
  • eating popcorn while watching a movie

And, contrary to idiom, even chewing gum while walking works out just fine most of the time.

On the other hand, . . .

Law Two: Some tasks mix poorly.

Sometimes tasks don’t mix well. Here are some examples:

  • texting while driving
  • monitoring social media while doing high-focus creative work
  • watching television while doing homework
  • listening to a podcast while writing
  • listening to music with lyrics while reading
  • talking with friends while watching a movie
  • emailing one person while talking with another
  • playing angry birds while landing a commercial passenger jet.

These examples, good and bad, come from my own experience, from common experience, and from the research literature. One or two of the examples might fail to resonate for you, but the point remains: multitasking is a mixed bag.

Now let’s see if we can figure out what makes multitasking good in some cases and bad in others.

Law Three: It’s partly about switching costs.

Imagine you have a small kitchen, and you plan to make two omelets and two batches of cookies. In what order should you do your cooking?

When you make an omelet, you must get out the eggs, the cheese, a cutting board, a knife, some spices, some vegetables, a skillet, and a mixing bowl. Then you make the omelet. And, if you’re like me, when you’re finished, you still have a dirty mixing bowl, cutting board and skillet sitting there, with the eggs, cheese, and maybe some extra veggies still sitting on the counter. At some point you will need to clean up and put things away.

So we can break the task of making a single omelet into three parts: 1) setup, 2) make the omelet, 3) cleanup.

And the same goes for baking cookies. You’ll have the same three components to that task: setup, make the cookies, and cleanup.

Now consider two plans for making the two omelets and two batches of cookies:

Plan 1 : omelet, cookies, omelet, cookies

Plan 2 : omelet, omelet, cookies, cookies.

And consider how much time and effort is required for each plan.

With plan 1 you will need to:

  • setup for omelet
  • make omelet
  • setup for cookies
  • make cookies

benefits of listening to music while doing homework

With plan 2 you will need to:

When you alternate tasks, you have to clean up task A before you can setup for task B (remember, this is a small kitchen). And it turns out that you can save a lot of work by focusing on one kind of food at a time instead of switching between them. You save two setups and two cleanups by following plan 2 instead of plan 1. This is the benefit of batch processing. It saves on overhead.

The same thing happens in your brain when you multitask. For example, when you sit down to do some homework your mind has to do some setup tasks. It must load certain information into short term memory , build appropriate mental models, erect filters to keep irrelevant information out, and so forth.

Now, if you switch your attention to watching television for a few seconds, you must free up some of the resources being used for homework, and prepare some new mental resources that are needed to track the show you’re watching.

So your mind has to perform some cleanup and setup work every time you switch from homework to television, and every time you switch back as well. These are known as “switching costs”, and they cost you in terms of both time and energy.

The costs might be small for an individual switch, but after an hour of homework/television they add up, and you might find you got only half of the homework done you could have, and you might be more mentally weary as well. 2

And the switching costs will be even greater if your primary task is a complicated creative endeavor, such as constructing a mathematical proof, developing a theory in physics, writing about a complicated topic, or coding a complex algorithm.

Richard Feynman had the following to say about allowing creative work to be interrupted (whether by accident or through multitasking):

“To do high, real good physics work you do need absolutely solid lengths of time, so that when you’re putting ideas together which are vague and hard to remember, it’s very much like building a house of cards and each of the cards is shaky, and if you forget one of them the whole thing collapses again. You don’t know how you got there and you have to build them up again, . . .” 3

The problem is that, when you’re doing complicated work, you often have to build up intricate mental models, and you’re pushing yourself to the edge of your capacity to concentrate. And when you take your attention away from your creative task and attend to an interruption, the mental models dissolve. And you probably won’t be able to build them back up the way they were.

It’s like having your computer crash while writing a paper, and realizing you hadn’t saved your document for half an hour. It will cost you time and energy trying to get everything built back up, and you might not actually get it back the way it was.

The real tragedy here is not that sometimes geniuses lose track of where they were. Geniuses typically value deep concentration and take measures to protect against interruption. The real tragedy is that many chronic multitaskers never bother with deep concentration, and might never discover the genius within them.

Law Four: It’s partly about resource conflict.

Another problem with mutitasking is that task A and task B might need the same mental resource, and they can’t both use it at the same time.

If a person listens to light instrumental music while sending an email message, there is typically little problem. Task B (listening to music) makes use of mental resources not needed for task A (writing the email message). If our email writer sub-vocalizes as she writes, there might be some auditory involvement, but the music won’t require verbal processing, so the degree of conflict is minimal.

If, on the other hand, she talks with a colleague while writing her email, then there is much more conflict over mental resources. Task B requires the person to construct and communicate meaning in sentences, just like task A does. Both require empathy and social strategizing as well. Trying to do both tasks at the same time will cause high switching costs and a greater chance of error.

Texting while driving is an iconic case of resource conflict. Both tasks compete over visual attention. When you switch your gaze from driving to texting, you will no longer be able to see new driving hazards as long as you are looking at your phone. Plus it takes some time to get situation awareness when you look back to the road. That’s why texting and driving is now the number one cause of death for teen drivers. 4

In general, when it’s important to do task A well, we should not also take on a secondary task that competes with the primary task for key resources.

Law Five: It’s partly about sweetening the pot.

But there are benefits to multitasking. Sometimes we are staring down a relatively simple task that we just don’t want to do (such as folding clothes). But we know that we would be much happier doing that task if we could do something else pleasant or useful at the same time (such as watching television or listening to an audio book). So we multitask in order to “sweeten the pot”, so we will have the motivation needed to perform the primary task.

We might not fold the clothes in record time. There will be some switching costs. But the alternative, if we’re being frank, is that we won’t fold the clothes at all. And, since the task is relatively simple, the switching costs will be manageable.

Or sometimes the primary task will contain periods of activity interspersed with periods of inactivity, while another task can be broken into small chunks that can fit those gaps. When I workout with weights, I perform sets of exercise with periods of rest in between. When I clean my office I do a series of discrete tasks with natural break points between subtasks (clear the clutter from my desk, empty a trash can, etc.).

That makes these two activities a natural fit. If I arrange to do cleaning tasks during the rest intervals in my workout, that “sweetens the pot” for both tasks. I normally don’t like cleaning my office, and will put it off repeatedly. But, if I can make use of the dead times in my workout, it seems worthwhile, because there’s little else of value I would be able to do during those two-minute rest periods.

Multitasking can help us start a task we don’t want to do, and it can also keep us doing a task when we’ve grown impatient. When the car trip gets boring , we can play twenty-questions. When we get impatient waiting in line, we can strike up a conversation with a stranger.

And pot-sweetening is just one of the two main possible benefits of multitasking.

Law Six: It’s partly about setting picks.

In basketball, it’s easier to score when you’re not being harassed by an opponent. That’s why teammates will sometimes position themselves at a spot on the floor and just stand still. The player with the ball can then dribble close enough to the teammate that the shadowing defender must either run into the teammate, go around the teammate, or switch assignments with the teammate’s defender. Sometimes this allows the player with the ball to get off a clean shot. The teammate in this case is “setting a pick”.

Likewise, a well-chosen secondary task can “set a pick” for the primary task by blocking out potential distractors.

When we work on a task, our minds do many things. Parts of our mind are concerned with executing our primary task. They help us keep the goal in mind, make plans, execute those plans, work around obstacles, keep the right things in memory for easy access, and so on. These are “foreground” processes.

At the same time other parts of our mind are looking out for signs of danger, looping through other problems we are dealing with, monitoring our internal states, or looking for opportunities to switch to more rewarding tasks. These are “background processes”. And background processes have a way of getting us off track at times.

So here’s the thing. This is where we can use multitasking to our advantage. If we choose our secondary task wisely, it can compete for resources with background processes that might otherwise interrupt us. And that means the right task B can actually help us stay focused on task A. Here’s how we might formalize that strategy:

Background Process Interference Strategy: when background processes are likely to interrupt a primary task, try to find a secondary task that will compete for resources with the background processes, but not with the foreground processes.

In other words, use task B to “set a pick” for task A.

If you don’t like doing yard work, and you know that parts of your brain will be looking for more rewarding things to do, and will be sending a constant stream of rationalizations to your mind to try to get you to quit, then you can run interference by listening to a podcast. Listening to the podcast will compete with the background processes for a key resource (strategic thinking), but will not compete substantially for the resources being used by the primary task.

On the other hand, if you’re writing an essay, and you fear your background processes will be trying to get you to quit, setting a pick with a podcast won’t work as well. In that case, task B will interfere not only with the background processes but also with the foreground processes -- like a clumsy teammate who tries to set a pick and knocks over the ball-handler in the process.

Law Seven: It’s all about making trade-offs.

It should be clear by now that we can’t say full stop whether multitasking is good or bad. It all depends on features of task A, features of task B, how A and B interact, and what a person’s goals are.

When it’s important to do the primary task well (driving), we must be extra careful about switching costs and resource conflict (that’s why texting while driving is a terrible idea). When it’s not that important, we can be more relaxed about those costs, and be more open to some of the benefits of multitasking (watching television while folding clothes is probably fine).

Sometimes it will be important to do task A quickly (studying for a test the night before an exam) and sometimes it won’t matter too much how long it takes (folding laundry on an otherwise empty evening). When it’s important to do a task quickly, we must be extra concerned about switching costs (and we might opt for some mid-tempo instrumental music to help us focus and block out distractions while we study -- instead of watching a television program).

Sometimes we are motivated to do task A (playing a new video game), and sometimes we lack motivation (working out). When we lack motivation, a well-chosen task B might just sweeten the pot.

Sometimes we are so familiar with task A, we do much of it on “auto-pilot”. And sometimes task A takes our full attention. That’s why listening to a talk program on radio can be a good idea for an experienced driver, but a bad idea for a student just learning to drive.

Sometimes task A is complicated (writing an essay), and other times it’s simple (folding clothes). Switching costs are usually higher for complicated tasks.

And so, in order to tell whether a given case of multitasking is good or bad, we will have to weigh the costs against the benefits on a case by case basis.

Conclusion: some specific and useful strategies.

We’ve covered a lot of ground. Here are the key lessons in a nutshell:

We’ve seen that multitasking can be a bad idea when:

  • there are high switching costs
  • there is resource conflict between task A and task B

And we’ve seen that it can be a good idea when:

  • task B “sweetens the pot” for task A
  • task B can “set a pick” for task A

And we’ve seen that the wisdom of multitasking can also depend on other features of task A and task B:

  • how important it is to do them well
  • how familiar they are
  • how important it is to do them quickly
  • how motivated we are to do them
  • how complicated they are

Let’s finish with a few specific and useful ways to apply these lessons:

  • Multitasking can be dangerous. When it’s important to do task A well, we should be very careful about choosing a task B, and err on the side of caution. We should never text and drive, or talk on the phone while driving. And we should take steps to make sure our passengers will not distract us with rowdiness or emotionally challenging conversations (this is of special relevance for those of us with children).
  • Multitasking can hinder creative productivity . When working on a creative project that pushes us to the limits of our concentration, we should not multitask in ways that will expose us to interruptions of the primary activity (for example, while writing an essay, we should close our facebook, twitter, and email clients, and check them only after we’ve done a good chunk of creative work).
  • Multitasking can assist creative productivity. Well-chosen secondary tasks can set picks for our creative projects, and can help us maintain focus against background processes that might otherwise interrupt us (for instance while writing an essay in a coffee shop, we might listen to invigorating instrumental music to block out ambient noises, conversations, and internal signals of discomfort).
  • Multitasking can help us be more patient. We tend to grow impatient when we have a goal and we have just learned that it’s going to cost us more to reach our goal than we originally thought. And our tendency when we are impatient is to either try to find shortcuts or to abandon our goal for another goal. But sometimes the right course of action is to simply stay the course and absorb the extra costs. The right task B can both sweeten the pot, and set picks on those voices in our heads trying to get us to change course. For instance, we might talk with a stranger while waiting in line, so we don’t bolt, or listen to an audiobook while stuck in heavy traffic, so we don’t plot out risky and minimally productive lane-changing maneuvers (For more on impatience, see “The 7 Laws of Impatience” ).
  • Well-chosen music mixes with almost everything. Well-chosen music has a magical ability to both sweeten the pot and set picks for almost any activity -- while avoiding resource conflict and switching costs almost entirely. The music must be chosen carefully, so it does not provide resource conflict (for instance songs with lyrics might not be optimal for reading, and death metal might be a poor choice for meditation ). But there is usually a good choice for almost any activity. Some tasks might not mix well with any kind of music, but these will probably be rare for most people.

1 Ophir, Nass, Wagner, “Cognitive Control in Media Multitaskers”

2 Armstrong and Chung, “Background Television and Reading Memory in Context”

3 Richard P. Feynman “The pleasure of finding things out.” p. 19

4 Delthia Ricks, "Study: Texting while driving now leading cause of death for teen drivers"

Further Reading

The 7 Laws of Impatience -- Jim Stone

Jim Stone Ph.D.

Jim Stone, Ph.D., is a philosopher, avid student of motivational psychology, and developer of personal productivity software and workshops.

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Listening to Music Is Better When It’s a Conversation Among Friends

At group listening sessions, everybody gets a turn to speak by choosing a song.

A hatching-style illustration of friends listening to records.

By Tim Davis

If you are the type of person who bides your time waiting for any conversation to pivot to music, who scrabbles through the dollar-record bins of junk shops or mudlarks around the streaming playlists of your favorite musicians hunting for rarities, you might be a Golden Ear. You almost certainly love music, but odds are, you are listening to it alone. The Golden Ears are devoted to listening to music together.

Most weeks we gather in Tivoli, our little hamlet on the Hudson, to share songs. It began about 15 years ago, after a few music-minded friends moved up from the city. We schlepped book bags of precious vinyl and congregated around our hi-fi stereos. There would be casual chitchat, but once the needle descended, we would listen, quietly, to the end of each person’s carefully chosen song. This shared attentiveness — being social without talking, an intimate act usually reserved for married couples and Zen monks — felt precious. A surprising focus replaced the pressure to make conversation, like a shooting star silencing a cookout. At one of our first sessions, someone laid down a 45-r.p.m. record of Doris Troy’s “What’cha Gonna Do About It?” : one minute and 52 seconds of the purest, pulsing promise of American music, a jaunty, saucy, sashaying tiptoe of soul, almost impossible to not do the monkey to. When it ended, cheers erupted.

By now we’re used to listening to music for one another, in a way that privileges adventure over taste.

Certain norms have materialized. There is no set time limit between songs, and who gets to play what next is an open question (unless a member we call the Proctor is present, when a consistent order must be followed). Tracks are generally short, five minutes or less. No genre is verboten. Themes (“Songs About Songwriting,” “Beatles Adjacency,” “Songs You Want Played at Your Funeral”) emerge or don’t. Bold provocations and special prompts have led to an evolving nomenclature. For example, “the Sanborn” is the spinning of a song by an artist no one has heard of, while everyone pens a one-line review. There is plenty to exhort, and lots of talk between songs. For Golden Ears, talking about music is a sacred chance to kibitz over what we’ve stumbled upon in obtuse liner notes or an out-of-print autobiography.

The pandemic was very hard on us. Of all the alonenesses the pandemic spawned, no longer listening with my friends was among the hardest. Once Dr. Fauci said we could, we went outside with Bluetooth speakers. Not wanting to bother anyone, we set up a fire pit deep in the woods and strung up lights. The first song we played there was Count Basie’s “Li’l Darlin’,” a tune so confident and leisurely that it felt as if Basie himself were leaning down from the bandstand, telling us in that dark moment that everything would be all right.

We named the clearing after the song, and the music we play there trends toward emotional and contemplative uplift. Sitting by the fire after one of these gorgeous plays, someone will often break the silence with a sly, “Sorry, Officer!” — imagining a state trooper showing up to find a ring of middle-aged adults in Adirondack chairs listening to Jimmy Giuffre.

For almost four years we’ve assembled there, through snow and summer cicadas, listening to exquisite music accompanied by caroling coyotes. There have been changes. Being outdoors meant embracing Spotify over record players, and playing music from our phones brought new possibilities and pitfalls. No one looking at their phone is actually listening to anyone or anything else, so we have regulated phone use to the period when the next player is searching for a song. For lifetime record scroungers, switching to streaming services at first felt gravityless; there was too much choice. But being able to improvise responses to one another’s songs in the moment from a vast grab bag of recorded music made the game of collective listening more playful.

As the official Li’l Darlin’ streaming playlist expands (it is currently over 127 hours long) and we have had to quest further afield to discover unexpected nuggets, we find ourselves freed from the tyranny of our own taste. One autumn night I played a ridiculously funny (and funky) song from 1979 called “Answering Machine,” in which a desperate lover has his voice-mail marriage proposal cut off by an answering-machine beep. It’s by Rupert Holmes, the crafty songsmith mostly known for a similar sonic rom-com about placing a personal ad. (Holmes once said, “I have a feeling that if I saved an entire orphanage from a fire and carried the last child out on my shoulders, as I stood there charred and smoking, they’d say, Aren’t you the guy who wrote the ‘Piña Colada Song’?”) “Answering Machine” is not cool. It’s somehow both overly sincere and too clever.

I wasn’t worried that it might offend the Golden Ears’ impeccable taste, though. By now we’re used to listening to music for one another, in a way that privileges adventure over taste. The Professor brings in pop-punk masterpieces and obscurities of musical theater. The Proctor favors funky grooves and tone poems. The Turk arrives with Mediterranean treats in eccentric time signatures. Shazam loves Duke Ellington and blue-eyed soul. Doodles is a curator of beatnik obscurities. I count on their open-eared acuity. Having a listening group as a sounding board of directors turns the sprawl of music history into a rolling conversation with friends, a renewable resource, an endless delight.

Tim Davis is a photographer and associate professor of photography at Bard College.

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How Hip Hop Music Helps Students to Relieve Stress While Studying

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We all know that reading, writing, memorizing, etc., are all part of our education and learning. Home works, assignments, term papers, all can give you the stress of your lifetime. If you are in college and exams are fast approaching, you may not even find time to sleep properly. But, when you are in great stress, listening to music can help you unwind.

Music as a Therapy

You might have heard of sound therapy that helps people to relieve stress. Scientific studies support the use of soundtracks in creating positive energy in humans. Most of the youngsters today opt to listen to hip-hop or rap songs and the benefits of listening to hip hop music is equally good. Therefore, you can keep your headphones on while reading your notes or preparing assignments to handle the high pressure you are under during the task. We know that a lullaby can calm the mind. In a similar way, a tune can help your mind to relax and perform better in what you are doing. Any dissertation writer needs a good attention span to complete the task successfully with the needed perfection. The soothing tunes help to increase your attention span by relaxing your muscles and nerves. You will be able to think clearly and use language in a better way when you are relaxed.

How do Rap Soundtracks Help?

Most of the students feel anxiety when they are with textbooks or preparing for the exams. Popping in your earbuds will help you to complete your tasks without getting tensed or frustrated. Most of you may wonder why rap music is good out of all the genres of music. A research conducted by Cambridge University has found that rap songs can trigger the parts of the brain that controls our emotion, motor function, nerve functions, language, and motivation. The listeners of rap were found to cope with mental health issues much better than others. Songs with good lyrics, catchy rhythm, and upbeat tracks can work wonders for you. So start listening to various tunes and compositions for getting some dissertation help.

Other Methods to Relieve Stress

One group of college goers who are under great stress is Ph.D. scholars. Writing a dissertation without flaws is no child’s play. Though rap benefits can be of great help to you, other methods can also help to reduce the stress, like the dissertation writing services . These online services will have experts who can help the students in creating the dissertation that will help you to get your degree. This will reduce your burden to a great extent and will give you more time to relax. Make sure that you are approaching reputed dissertation writing services that have experienced and knowledgeable professionals to get your get done properly and on time.

Focusing with Music

Many believe that music can distract the school and college goers, but studies have found that it helps them to focus and pay attention to their studies. It actually helps in organizing the information received by the brain and in making the right predictions. This is critical when it comes to learning and writing exams. Music also improves cognitive performance and this helps students to write answers to more questions within the allotted time and get the answers right. It has the ability to improve the emotional state of the students and plays an important role in improving cognitive performance. The beats and rhythms of songs exercise the brain and prepare you for the mental challenges you are going to face in the future. So, start giving some exercise to your brain by keeping ready the device and earplugs before the next study session.

Rap Song Suggestions for Studying

The lyrics used in the hip-hop songs by popular rap personalities do have a say and can turn the negative mind to develop positive thoughts. Such is the power of music and the way the words used in a song. Some of the tracks that you should listen to reduce stress from your mind during studying are:

  • On To The Next One by JayZ
  • The Motto by Drake featuring Lil’ Wayne
  • If I Ruled The World by Nas
  • Backstreet Freestyle by Kendrick Lamar
  • Lose Yourself by Eminem

Closing Thoughts

There is a strong connection between the brain and music and memory. It is proved beyond doubt that songs and compositions help to improve concentration in studies. Even after you are laying in your bed exhausted after all the study with the help of your favorite soundtracks, you will find your mind recollecting the information that you had acquired. Now, it is time to turn on some classical stuff to help you free your mind from the studies and to lead you to a peaceful sleep.

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    Benefits of studying to music Do you listen to music while you study, or do you prefer total silence? The jury is out on which is better since everyone is different; however, several research studies are proving that listening to the right kind of music can put your mind into study mode.

  10. The Benefits of Listening to Music while Studying

    3. It motivates you to study Listening to your favorite music stimulates the areas of your brain which focus on reward and thinking positively. This means that when you listen to such music, you will feel more empowered and motivated to do a good job — and perhaps go the extra mile in the studying you are doing.

  11. Alex Doman: Your Brain is Better on Music

    Have you ever listened to music to relax, study or exercise? If so, you've likely experienced the therapeutic benefits of music. In this insightful and experiential talk, Alex Doman a music and brain expert, shares how scientifically designed music and neurotechnology can facilitate positive changes in brain chemistry, function and structure through the simple practice of listening. But ...

  12. Drowned in sound: how listening to music hinders learning

    Many students do their homework and revision while listening to music. Many of them will swear that listening to their favourite songs makes them study better . But does music help or hinder learning?

  13. Why to Listen to Music While Doing Homework

    So, what benefits can you get from listening to music while doing your homework? It helps quickly relax before learning Specialists from the US Department of Homeland Security conducted a musical experiment and confirmed that music helps cope with stress.

  14. Listening to Music While Doing Homework/Studying Lead To Better Results

    A study done by Elana Goodwin states, " 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." The researchers typically compare this to the Mozarts Effect.

  15. Should You Let Students Listen to Music in the Classroom?

    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

  16. 10 Positive Benefits of Listening to Music

    Music lowers stress while improving the general health. Music develops an immediate effect on the hormones. Listening to your favorite music will trigger the lowering of the hormone cortisol, neutralizing the impacts of chronic stress. Around 60 percent of the entire diseases and illnesses are triggered by stress.

  17. Is Listening to Music while doing Homework OK: 21 best Songs

    Research has shown that listening to music while doing tests can boost your scores. This is due to the ability of music to stimulate parts of the mind that play a role in mathematical ability.

  18. To Appreciate Music, the Human Brain Listens and Learns to Predict

    Listening to a melody can sway our emotions because the auditory neurons that process music are in conversation with emotional centers in the brain. "Composers talk about musical tension and resolution," Sankaran said. "Our ability to expect and anticipate these features of music explains how it can set an upbeat tone or bring us to tears."

  19. Music to Listen to While Doing Homework for Better Focus & Motivation

    3. RnB. R n b is among the best relaxing music genres. While such music is perfect for studying, avoid it if you love singing along to the song lyrics. You will be tempted to focus on the songs other than doing homework. Again, this music can make you fall asleep easily and forget about studying.

  20. The Best Study Music: What to Listen to While Doing Homework

    life. This is one of the styles of music a student can listen to while doing homework because it mostly speaks about real-life experiences and encourages a listener when they realize they are...

  21. Multitasking affects efficiency, quality of homework

    Listening to music, eating or using a cell phone is an easy escape from the potential monotony of homework, but multitasking can be detrimental to the quality and efficiency of students' work, despite making the job more pleasurable. ... Ninety-eight percent of student respondents admitted to multitasking while doing homework, according to an ...

  22. Essential Benefits of Listening to Music While Studying

    You don't have to listen to this while preparing your homework. It is enough to spend 15-20 minutes quietly listening to pleasant music. The level of endorphins in the blood will rise, and you can continue your work. Study Music Selection Guide. The main advice when choosing music for teaching is the personal preferences of each student.

  23. The 7 Laws of Multitasking

    Here are some examples: listening to music while practicing a sports skill. talking with strangers while waiting in line. listening to a talk radio program while driving (sometimes) listening to ...

  24. Listening to Music Is Better When It's a Conversation Among Friends

    The Golden Ears are devoted to listening to music together. Most weeks we gather in Tivoli, our little hamlet on the Hudson, to share songs. It began about 15 years ago, after a few music-minded ...

  25. How Hip Hop Music Helps Students to Relieve Stress While Studying

    The lyrics used in the hip-hop songs by popular rap personalities do have a say and can turn the negative mind to develop positive thoughts. Such is the power of music and the way the words used in a song. Some of the tracks that you should listen to reduce stress from your mind during studying are: On To The Next One by JayZ.