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You’re sitting in front of your computer, watching the cursor monotonously blink in front of you. The room is so quiet that you would hear a pin drop. Everyone around you is completely still, frozen as if they have been hunched over their books or laptops for so long, that they have now turned to stone. It took all your mental will, and a good 45 minutes, but you’ve logged out of Facebook, you closed the video you were watching on YouTube, you turned your phone to silent, and have put it out of sight. There is now nothing standing between you and demolishing that final paper you need to write. And yet, try as you might, you cannot bring your mind to tackle the matter at hand. The cursor continues its cold blinking, and you stare until you are convinced that its mere existence is just to mock you. Does this sound familiar? If it does, do not despair, music is there.
Some people need a work-space that is almost Zen-like in order to concentrate on writing or studying. Other people find that the complete lack of stimulation has the opposite effect on their work ethic. The total silence is as distracting for them as the procession of a marching band would be for others. Many students find that a certain level of background distraction helps them work, because their senses are stimulated enough to keep them from looking for ways to procrastinate, but not so much so that they can no longer concentrate. While some prefer the distraction to be visual (for instance sitting by a window that looks out onto a busy street), for many the peripheral distraction of choice is music.
But does music really enhance one’s ability to concentrate, focus, or memorize? There have been multiple studies regarding music in the workplace or classroom, designed to test whether or not productivity levels tended to rise or fall. However, these tests often produce conflicting results, making any conclusive facts about how music affects our productivity notoriously contestable. Though it may not be firmly or scientifically proven that music will give you better study-habits, you may find that it makes the task of getting schoolwork done slightly easier for the following reasons:
- Music can inspire creativity. Many people argue that music can help avoid issues such as writers block because it helps boost their level of creativity. In an article titled, Focus Better by Listening to Music, editor of the online magazine ‘Pick The Brain’ writes, “Even if we aren’t paying close attention, our brain counts each note and change of rhythm. This counting occupies the part of the mind that hinders our creative abilities. Like a soothing lullaby, music puts the worrisome, unfocused part of the mind to sleep so the productive side can get to work.”
- Music can put you in a good mood. According to a study in journal ‘Nature Neuroscience’, music can cause the chemical dopamine to be released in the brain. Dopamine is often referred to as the ultimate ‘feel-good’ chemical because it is associated with feelings of pleasure, and higher levels of dopamine correlate with an overall better mood. Studies also suggest that music (especially music with an upbeat rhythm count) can reduce stress hormone levels by as much as 41%.
- Music can help you focus. In this case, it is recommended to listen to music without lyrics, for they can draw the mind away from whatever else you are trying to focus on. However the constant beats of a song can help boost productivity because it sets a pace for you to work at. According to the Stanford School of Medicine, music can also help the brain organize incoming information.
- Music can block out distractions. Music can help put you into a ‘zone’, or a productive frame of mind, and therefore you’re less likely to find yourself reaching for your phone to text a friend or logging onto Facebook as a means of procrastination.
When choosing what music to listen to while studying, it really varies on a ‘whatever works for you’ basis. The most widely suggested music is Classical music. The instrumental components and composition of Baroque classical music, in particular, is noted for its potential mind-boosting affects. This is often associated with what is known as the ‘Mozart Effect’. Another genre of music suggested for studying is Ambient. Though the label ‘ambient’ is widely applied to a broad selection of music, what they all share in common is that it is designed to keep your brain engaged at a lower, subconscious level. Ambient music aims to give the mind the freedom to roam, while stimulating it enough to provide inspiration.
In the end, people do not recommend listening to music while studying because it believed that doing so will make whatever you are studying as easy for you as the theory of relativity is for Einstein. Listening to music is encouraged as a way for you to explore what techniques help increase your productivity, and to help you view studying with a more positive attitude. So whether it’s music, the general clamour of a cafeteria, complete silence, white noise, listening to a radio station broadcasted in a foreign language, or whistling aloud that works for you, forget what studies show and take full advantage of whatever techniques make the end-of-semester tasks successful for you.
To those who are newer to the stresses of final papers and exams, and to those who are just beginning to find their own ‘studying groove’, here is my parting suggestion to you: http://8tracks.com/explore/study
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