For some people, studying for a test or doing their homework in complete silence is just plain odd and weird. These type of people need something that fills the silence, a little noise in the background that helps them stay focused and keep their minds from wandering off. The perfect solution for this? Listen to some music! But did you know that aside from blocking out surrounding distractions, there are actually science-backed reasons why music can help you concentrate? Here are some of them:
4) Music helps in studying.
According to a study done in the University of Wales, studying while listening to music can not only improve your attention, memory and math skills, it can also lessen anxiety and feelings of depression.
When the researchers did a test on how background music can influence the students’ scores on tests, it was found that the students who listened to music while taking the tests finished the tests at a much quicker pace and were able to answer more questions correctly. Although the study states that the students’ test scores were higher with background music, the effect of music was not the same for every student, which means that the type of music was a crucial factor in the test scores.
3) Music can improve focus.
A study done at Johns Hopkins University claims that playing music in the background while doing creative activities like writing, brainstorming, journaling and problem solving is a good thing. The study also states that taking music breaks from activities not only increases productivity, it also energizes students during lulls.
2) The Mozart Effect.
According to a study done in 1993, listening to the music of Mozart can improve performance of mental tasks known as “spatial-temporal reasoning”. The study also suggests that exposing infants and children to Mozart’s classical pieces will have a beneficial effect on their brain development. This hypothesis became so popular that a governor of Georgia, USA named Zell Miller suggested a budget to grant every child of Georgia with a CD copy of Mozart’s music.
1) Music has been proven to make us smarter.
A study done by the College Entrance Exam Board Service in 1996 has reported that among all students taking their STAT exams that year, those who either sang or played an instrument scored an average of 39 points higher on math and 51 points higher on the test’s verbal portion. The study also states that according to research, musical pieces such as Mozart’s can help improve communication, relieve stress and increase efficiency.
Various studies have linked music to learning. According to research, music stimulates different parts of the brain that control language, memory, timing and motor control. As McGill University neuroscientist Anne Blood said, “You can activate different parts of the brain, depending on what music you listen to. So music can stimulate parts of the brain that are underactive in neurological diseases or a variety of emotional disorders. Over time, we could retrain the brain in these disorders.”
Mark Jude Tramo, a neurobiologist of Harvard University also claimed that there is undeniably a biology of music and that there is no question that there is a part of the human brain that specializes in the processing of music. According to the neurobiologist, “Music is biologically part of human life, just as music is aesthetically part of human life.”
