How Playing Background Music Improves Your Focus and Increases Productivity
Music is more than leisurely entertainment. Music can encourage us to become more creative and help up stay focused and productive. Music can be a state of euphoria for many people, relieving feelings of stress and helps you get into a zone.
Research (2019) has suggested that music can activate reward centers in the brain like receiving food or money would also, that the signals sent to the brain can support learning and keep you motivated to learn.
Plenty of people utilize music while concentrating on tasks for work or for studying. Recent developments in YouTube channels specialize in music that plays on a continuous loop or over an hour such as, Chillhop and Ambient Worlds. The type of music here is meant to calm your nerves and serve as background noise while focusing on tasks.
In what ways does listening to music while working help you?
Tunes out background noise
Sometimes it isn’t easy to focus on your work. Whether you are at the office, at home, or in a coffee shop, there have probably been a few times when unexpected noises show up. Someone is shuffling their feet, sniffling, or talking too loudly. Having music on can drown out the distracting noises. If you have a good pair of headphones/earbuds, it will take away those distractions.
Enhances your mood
You know why you love music! It draws in positive energy when you hear a great tune! Due to that positivity, you can stay more motivated and focused.
The stress you may feel when you have a daunting task can be overwhelming and making it easier to lose focus. However, when you put on music, it can help you relax and focus more effectively.
Happy chemicals running through your brain will improve your learning experience. Whether you are studying for a test or needing to focus on work, it is easier when you feel more upbeat.
Keeps you in the State of Flow
Playing music in the background increases your focus and gets you into a state of flow where you become fully immersed in the task you need to focus on. Being in a state of flow can also be interpreted as “in the zone.”
When you play music in the background, it can make the process of completing tasks easier. A study found that listening to music helps older adults perform better on their memory and cognitive tasks.
What kind of music is best for focus?
It is best to use music genres ideal for focus because not all music gifts you with ultra focus. Some music can be distracting too. If you are looking for music to use, use the type of music specifically designed to stimulate your senses and seamlessly blend in the background. Follow some of these principles:
Be sure to avoid music with vocals because hearing the words/lyrics may be more distracting than it’s worth.
Choose music that is instrumental with no spoken word and avoid any music with any big surprises. Music that changes abruptly can take you out of the zone and distract you from your work.
Music must be at a low volume. After all, it is “background” noise to drown out your distractions, but your focus should be top volume. Loud music can disrupt your process.
There is no magical genre that will work for everybody, but there is music suggestions that can work for you.
Here are some genres that best reflect this:
Classical
Classical music is the genre research claims help people perform better on their tasks. “The Mozart Effect” is a theory suggesting classical music can enhance brain activity and improves health and well-being. Some research claims that classical music may be best for performing simple tasks somewhat than a complicated ones.
Ambient
Ambient music is gentle, tone-based sounds with no vocals and blends into pre-existing background noise. Ambient music can be heard in guided meditations or yoga videos, and the frequencies are created to reduce stress. Ambient music overall has therapeutic benefits with the bonus of being excellent background music for working/studying.
Lo-Fi
My personal favorite for working and studying is lo-fi music. Often tagged as “beats to chill/study/relax,” Lo-Fi is a very mellow instrumental sound that is neither boring enough to forget nor distracts you from your tasks. The music can be on an endless loop of different tunes with a subtle transition. Lo-fi can drown out the stress, and there are many different types all over YouTube and music app playlists.
Music in 50:80 bpm (beats per minute)
The tempo of the music can also be an essential factor. The research found music with 50 to 50 bpm can be beneficial for creativity and learning.
A cognitive-behavioral therapist Dr. Emma Gray researched for Spotify to see the benefits of certain types of music. Findings suggested music with a 50 to 80 bpm can put the brain into an alpha state. An alpha state is a relaxed state of mind compared to a beta state we usually are in when awake and alert.
In conclusion:
If you’re looking for a way to help yourself become more focused and productive. Depending on the complexity of the task, try finding music you enjoy that is not too distracting, like beats that are not too fast or have lyrics that catch your attention. Instead, look for something that calms you and keeps you in focus.
