The Best Music For Studying 6 Genres To Stay Focused
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. If you don’t fancy using a streaming service, then YouTube is going to be your new best friend when it comes to finding these kinds of tunes.
With that being said, if the music is distracting you, it's likely either the volume or the style of music. Electronic music has become favorite music among university and college students in recent years, and the good news is that this genre of music is perfect for learning. We already know that spending time in nature is good for our physical health. It turns out that listening to nature sounds, even when trapped in an office, can boost your mood and promote deep focus.
White noise has been shown to improve both memory and concentration. In a study of children with ADHD, researchers found that white noise boosted the cognition of the subjects. Another study in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience discovered that white noise slightly improved recall. Many students won’t want to hear it, but yes, listening to music does distract you from studying.
As a non-musician or non super music fan they don’t have as much “mental resource” allocated to music, so the difference between pleasurable and neutral music is less distinct. When it comes to learning something new it seems the emotional benefit of listening to music they like outweighs the resource drain that the act of listening to music incurs. In a nutshell, music puts us in a better mood, which makes us better at studying – but it also distracts us, which makes us worse at studying. So if you want to study effectively with music, you want to reduce how distracting music can be, and increase the level to which the music keeps you in a good mood. So, you arrived at the last Conquistadors basketball game, prepared to perform better after a little music therapy.
Research from 2019 suggests music can activate the same reward centers in your brain as other things you enjoy. Rewarding yourself with your favorite music can provide the motivation you need to learn new information. That said, it’s certainly true that some types of music can boost concentration and memory as well as increase alertness. Not only can listening to music make studying less boring, but it can also potentially help you better retain the information.
Different styles make different people respond in different ways. You are probably already familiar with at least some of the music by famous composers like Mozart and Beethoven. You may even be familiar with some of the work by composers of baroque music who preceded them, such as Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel. And most people today have heard the work of modern composers who use elements of classical music in their scores for major Hollywood movies. Even though the Mozart Effect has been more or less debunked in the time since, some experts still argue that music can offer other benefits to our brains -- namely, concentration and productivity.
Want to learn even more about the connections between music and the brain? Check out the podcast Music and the Brain over at the Library of Congress. Do note that these studies are right on the bleeding edge, music is still a relative mystery when it comes to how much we really know about it so take this information as a guide rather than a prescription. When you’re learning something new, when you’re forming neural pathways and making mental connections, you want to have the maximum mental resource available to you to create those channels and associations. If learning is a creative act then you don’t want to be allocating resource to unnecessary activities. So - the subjects chose what music they liked and what music they felt “meh” about and also divulged how much of a music fan they were.
Classical music is especially suitable for those students who don’t already have strong feelings of like or dislike for it. However, if the work you’re doing doesn’t demand deep memorization or recall, music may indeed offer some benefits to both your efficiency and creativity. According to a 2010 study from the University of Wales in Cardiff, listening to music while attempting to memorize information may actually hinder your efforts.
In fact, he was one of the first people to discover music has a measurable effect on the brain, on a deep emotional level. A student in what they call the “Mario Kart Zone,” working vigorously with full concentration on their schoolwork. Video game music Relaxing Music is designed to keep you absorbed and focused on the game, and so it’s perfectly suited to keep you engaged with your schoolwork. Classical music is known for being both peaceful and harmonious, creating a calm and serene study environment for the listen.
Even if you think that you're not a fan of jazz, it's often worth giving some of the mellower styles of this genre a chance. You may be surprised at how inspired and relaxed it can make you feel. In fact, using instrumental jazz music to help you study may be ideal if you aren't normally a big fan of the style. As long as you don't totally dislike it, the genre can provide a neutral yet pleasant backdrop that doesn't distract you or make you want to stop and immerse yourself in the music instead of studying. Various studies contradict each other, and they often have major limitations.