Music is a powerful tool that can help you study, especially in high-pressure situations like finals. USA Today reports that students who practice music early on experience higher levels of cognitive performance later in life.
But does music help you learn? Let’s take a closer look. Here are the top five reasons why listening to music can help you focus and study:
It’s a distraction-free zone
Music psychologist Dr. Kirk Olsen says that while he understands that students often claim they need to study music because it helps them concentrate, many people don’t realize how much their choice of song can impact their studying. “If a student chooses to study a rap song with lyrics, the verbal information in the lyrics could interfere with or become confused with any written material they are trying to read, understand, or memorize,” he says. The same can apply to high-tempo music, which can distract by forcing the brain to move between the rhythm of the beat and the academic information.
If you’re going to use music as a study aid, try to listen to instrumental songs without lyrics and keep the volume low. Olsen suggests this will help prevent your music from becoming an earworm—that annoying snippet of a song that repeats in your head all day long, stopping you from getting any work done!
Other factors to consider when choosing your study tunes include the tempo and mood of the music. Upbeat classical music, for example, stimulates divergent thinking and out-of-the-box ideas, according to research published in PLOS One in 2017. It can also shift the brain from a beta state to deeper alpha and theta states, which can maximize learning and improve memory.
If you’re not sure what kind of music will best support your study, try experimenting with different genres to find what works for you. Jazz, for example, offers bursts of energy interspersed with soothing melodies and muffled percussion that can help to calm the mind. Plus, the random element of jazz music can stop the brain from finding patterns too easily and getting distracted by other things around it.
It’s motivational.
Music can be a great source of motivation when studying, particularly if you choose a song or album that has personal meaning for you or is associated with positive memories. However, the music you listen to should motivate you to study and not distract from it, so be careful what you select. It may be best to experiment with different tunes before you find a study playlist that works for you.
Often, the tempo of the music can affect our performance and whether it helps or hinders our studies. For example, if the beat of your favorite song syncs up with your heartbeat, this can increase your concentration and speed up your reaction times. However, if the rhythm is too fast or it causes you to feel pumped up, this can be a distraction and can slow down your reaction times.
It’s also worth mentioning that the type of music you choose can have a big impact on your concentration. When it comes to choosing the right study music, you should aim for calm, repetitive music with no lyrics (such as soft classical or ‘Weightless’ by Marconi Union). This kind of soothing sound can help to relax you and slow down your heartbeat, putting you in the perfect state of mind for studying.
Music can also be a great motivator in high-pressure situations. USA Today reports that basketball players who struggle to score in high-pressure free-throw shootouts have improved their performances by listening to upbeat music before the game. It’s a little like listening to an inspiring speech before you go on stage or do an audition. This can give you the boost you need to transform yourself from coal into a diamond.
It keeps you going.
Many people claim that listening to music while studying helps them remember the information they are reading. It can also help them focus and stay productive for longer periods. However, others prefer to work in silence and believe that music can be distracting. It’s important to find out which option works best for you.
It can be difficult to concentrate when you are working from home and your house is full of distractions. The kettle is boiling, the dog is barking, a delivery truck is trundling down the street, and there’s a concrete saw going at the building site across the road. But if you put on some calming, ambient electronic music with chill beats or soft classical music, it may help you block these distractions and concentrate better.
Music can keep you motivated to study when you are feeling like giving up. It can encourage you to work harder, and it’s been proven that when you listen to music, the parts of your brain associated with reward and motivation are activated. So, if you are feeling overwhelmed by your studies and need a boost to get through them, try listening to some of your favorite tunes.
If you want to use music to enhance your studying, make sure it is instrumental and without lyrics. Some studies suggest that listening to lyrics can interfere with your ability to understand and learn information. Other research has shown that the rhythms of music can activate the different lobes of your brain. For example, the part of your brain responsible for processing language and absorbing new information called the putamen, is stimulated by the rhythms of music.
It’s relaxing.
Whether or not you prefer to study in silence is entirely up to you, but many students will admit that music makes studying more enjoyable. The reason is simple: it’s calming. It’s also been proven that certain types of music can help focus the mind, boost learning, and reduce stress levels. So, if you’re struggling to stay awake and concentrate during your next study session, try listening to some instrumental or classical music. These genres have been proven to be great for studying and can even improve your memory in the process.
Music can stimulate gamma brain waves, which are associated with higher IQ levels and faster thought processing. These waves can also increase awareness and intuition. Ultimately, they encourage longer study sessions and improved memory recall. So, if you’re feeling stressed and anxious before an exam or performance, put on some calming music and focus on your breathing. It’s been shown that this will lower your heart rate to a normal resting beat and can even induce sleep.
Other studies have found that listening to music can affect your working memory, which is a limited cognitive system that helps you manage new information. This can be a problem when attempting to memorize things like phone numbers, addresses, or lists of ingredients. However, some studies have also found that listening to slow, soft music increases your reading comprehension, so swapping breakcore for Mozart may be a good idea if you’re looking to get ahead on your next homework assignment.
Some studies have found that listening to songs with lyrics can distract you from your studies. The reason is that the words can be processed as rhythms in your brain and create mental associations that can distract you from your tasks at hand. This can apply to any type of lyric, from popular hits to nursery rhymes and schlagers.
It’s a social activity.
If you’re a social butterfly or have trouble sitting down and studying alone, music can be a way to connect with others. Even if it’s just to talk about the latest song or your favorite artists, listening can help keep you company and make the time go faster. It can also be helpful when studying with kids and can encourage them to interact more.
When it comes to studying, everyone has different needs and preferences. Some people prefer to study in silence, but music can help improve your performance and results, particularly for exams or cramming sessions. It’s a great way to keep you motivated, and it can distract your brain less by putting you in the right mindset.
Music can also increase your ability to recall information. It’s thought that this is because it activates both the left and right sides of your brain, allowing you to better retain and process new information. It can boost episodic memory (i.e., your ability to remember specific events in your life). And it can be especially effective for people with dyslexia or other learning difficulties.
While listening to music while you study may help improve your academic performance, it’s important to choose the right type of music. Ideally, you want to choose something calm and relaxing that won’t cause you to drift off into sleep. Jazz, folk, and classical are good choices, and you can find plenty of playlists on streaming sites that are designed specifically for studying.
Music has been around since the beginning of humanity; an archeological discovery in 2009 revealed a vulture-bone flute that’s believed to be over 40,000 years old! Throughout history, it’s been used to inspire the imagination, stimulate creativity, and encourage movement and communication. In the classroom, it’s been a staple of Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligence areas and is often incorporated into lesson plans alongside activities such as singing, dancing, and doing the alphabet or hokey-pokey to teach core skills.