The late philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “without music, life would be a mistake.” This rings true for most of us. Whether we listen to sad music after a painful breakup or upbeat music on our graduation day, music often plays a significant role in our most memorable life events
Music improves your mood
When you listen to music you enjoy, the brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which makes you feel good, and reduces stress and anxiety
- Music has the power to improve our mood which in turn could improve our ability to focus and concentrate on the task at hand
What type of music should you listen to?
Preferences depend on a few factors:
- How many lyrics, how familiar you are with the song, how repetitive the task is, and whether you are engaging in physical or mental activity
- Experiment with different types of music, in different conditions, to find what works best for your productivity
Lyrics reduce mental performance
Studies on background music in the work environment have shown that music with lyrics reduces our mental performance at work, while instrumental music could boost our productivity.
- In addition, research from Applied Acoustics has shown that performance is reduced with increased speech intelligibility.
Music affects introverts and extroverts differently
A study published in the Applied Cognitive Psychology Journal looked at the distracting effects of music on introverts’ and extraverts’ performance on various cognitive tasks
- While either being exposed to pop music, or in silence
- At the end of the study, the researchers discovered that there was a detrimental effect on immediate recall on the memory test while music was played
Music improves physical performance
Listening to motivational music while exercising can help to reduce boredom and improve the quality of your workouts
- During my personal experiments, I’ve discovered that music helps to significantly increase the intensity, speed, and duration of my workouts.
- It alters my mood on the days when I don’t feel like exercising.
Listen to music between tasks to boost productivity
While there may be detrimental effects, listening to music in between tasks can boost your mental performance
Music makes repetitive tasks more pleasurable
Daniel Levitin, neuroscientist and the author of This Is Your Brain on Music, explains how music can make repetitive tasks pleasurable and increase your concentration
- One study discovered that music could improve the performance of surgeons who take on repetitive nonsurgical laboratory tasks
Music familiarity is best for focus
Certain regions in our brain are more active when we listen to familiar rather than unfamiliar music
