Weekly Digest #123: Does Music Help You Study
When you sit down to study do you have a favorite playlist or genre? Does listening to music help you study or does it just lead to more distractions? We've previously written about the Mozart Effect and some of the research on background music. While music may not make you smarter, it may put you in a better mood. This week we've put together 5 posts about music and studying.
Image from Pixabay
1. Does music really help you concentrate? By Dean Burnett @garwboy for The Guardian
This article discusses some of the research on music and productivity. While it may be better to listen to music without words, research suggests that the best music to listen to is music we like.
2. Music only helps you concentrate if you're doing the right kind of task By Dr. Nick Perham for Popular science.
The effectiveness of music, and what kind of music, depends on the type of studying we're trying to do.
Image from Pixabay
3. Music at work: Distracting or beneficial? By Dr. Annalie B. Haake
Dr. Haake discusses a variety of factors that might affect how distracting music is in the workplace. Musical structure, task complexity, and previous listening habits are all things that might affect whether listening to music is distracting while we're trying to get work done.
4. When music is a distraction by Eva Amsen
This is the second in a 2 post series about background music. Whether or not music will be helpful or distracting depends on the type of music, the type of task, and the type of person.
Image from Pixabay
5. Don't listen to music while studying by David Cutler
For a counter-point, see this post by David Cutler. He interviewed Dr. Nick Perham about his research on background music.
Every Sunday, we pick a theme and provide a curated list of links. If you have a theme suggestion, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Occasionally we publish a guest digest, and If you'd like to propose a guest digest click here. Our 5 most recent digests can be found here:
Weekly Digest #118: Embodied Cognition: Use of Body and Space to Improve Learning
Weekly Digest #119: Study Resources for Students
Weekly Digest #120: Prepping for School to Start