Does music help you concentrate?

Listening to music to study is a very common practice among college students, which, according to many, helps them to concentrate.

There are several studies carried out on this subject, taking different positions on whether studying with music increases or decreases concentration. Like almost everything, it depends on the person. Many college students can’t take off their headphones or in the library.

Depending on the tasks, music helps to concentrate

Performing monotonous tasks becomes more productive if it is accompanied by music since it releases dopamine in our brains, which affects mood and helps us not to seek distractions.

Solving math problems is also more efficient when done to music. The fact of having a negative attitude makes us frustrated and it is more difficult to solve problems than if our attitude is positive. Music helps to release stress and improves, as we mentioned before, the mood.

On the other hand, for tasks that require our full attention, we must do without music. We need to be totally focused, so little music could increase the time required for maximum concentration tasks.
If you are interested, here are some tips to study better.

Kind of music

The genres to avoid are punk, rock, or heavy metal because they agitate the subject and increase nervousness. The most appropriate is classical music, nature, or chill out. They give peace of mind and increase performance.

Music with lyrics has no drawbacks when we perform a repetitive task that we are used to, this will keep us entertained and not divert our attention. On the other hand, for the rest of the tasks, if they require a minimum of concentration, music without lyrics is better. If they are known songs, we tend to sing them and divert our attention.

And for people with anxiety, classical music can have calming effects on people.

While the styles and personalities of each individual vary, music can improve productivity. Furthermore, science has shown that listening to music releases dopamine, which means that it is a pleasant and enjoyable experience that can relax an individual and help them better focus on what they are doing.
If you have not tried working or studying listening to music, you can try doing it, since it has great benefits for science.

Concentration and memory

If you thought music was a distraction, you need to think twice. According to a study conducted by Stanford University and published in Neuron in 2007, music helps us remember better.

According to the study, music involves areas of the brain related to updating memory, paying attention, and making predictions.

So, far from distracting you, music can help you achieve that necessary concentration at work or study.
Have you tried studying with music?

If you have never tried, or have not obtained the best results, you can follow these tips:

• Adjusts the volume. A very high volume does not help.
• Have a playlist ready so you don’t waste time choosing songs.
• Avoid advertisements or radios. A person explaining something or a conversation will divert your attention from the main topic, studying.
• Control the time of day. In the morning calm music is better, while at night something more cheerful and lively is better, to cope with the fatigue of the day and keep you active.