The Effect of Listening to Music While Studying

Can I listen to music while studying?

It’s a good question, and it can be answered by determining the type of music and its volume level; music can put us in a good mood, which makes us better at studying, and music can distract us, which makes us worse at studying. So if you want to study effectively while listening to music, you need to reduce the level of distraction and increase the level that puts you in a good mood.

Here is a summary of the most important pros and cons of listening to music while studying:

Pros of listening to music while studying

More and more students are bringing headphones to libraries and study halls, but does listening to music while studying have positive effects? The truth is that there are a set of benefits that can make a big difference:

• Relaxing and calming music can help students overcome anxiety and stress that result from exams and schoolwork, and promote a more positive mindset.
• Improve focus on a task, by providing motivation, mood, and the ability to endure the long, tiring nights we spend studying. Research in 2019 indicates that music can activate centers in the brain that have the same rewarding effect on the self.
• In some cases, students have found that listening to music while studying can help them memorize by creating a positive mood that indirectly helps form memory. According to a study conducted at Stanford University, classical music helps absorb and interpret new information more easily, thus increasing the ability to memorize.

Disadvantages of listening to music while studying

Despite the many benefits, studies have found that music is often more distracting than beneficial. The disadvantages of listening to music while studying include the following:

• Students who listen to music accompanied by singing while completing their study tasks tend to be less efficient in the memorization process and less able to absorb information.
• Makes it more difficult to concentrate, if you listen to loud music that negatively affects the process of reading, understanding and comprehension, which may interrupt your thoughts and hinder your work.
• Makes students feel more difficult when trying to remember information during the test, because it can reduce the capacity of working memory.

A type of music that can be listened to while studying If you prefer to listen to music while studying, there is no need to give it up, and here are some tips to make studying more effective when accompanied by listening to music:

• Avoid music with words, as any music that contains words in a language you understand will distract attention and hinder the comprehension process.
• Choose music with a slow rhythm, as research results have concluded that classical music helps create a positive mood and gives a feeling of comfort while studying.
• Avoid loud music with a fast rhythm, as it may disrupt the thinking process.
• Listen to songs that you do not have strong feelings towards, as they may distract you and make you lose the ability to focus.