Best music for work according to scientists: sounds of nature, violin and LJ
Scientists at the University of Birmingham have proven that music is a great helper in increasing productivity and concentration, but this is only if it is chosen correctly. Some tracks, on the contrary, can make you think for a long time or even start dancing, which is clearly bad for your academic performance.
Below we have prepared a scientifically based selection of the best music to work with. We hope that now your working days will be a little more fun!
Sounds of nature
Many of you, for sure, at least once tried to fall asleep to the sounds of nature on your phone. The sound of rain, the rustle of leaves, the singing of birds… All this makes the body and brain relax, immerse themselves in a pleasant atmosphere of calm and peace. But recently, scientists from The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has proved that melodies where the sounds of nature are present, help a person not only fall asleep faster, but also contribute to improving his performance.
It would seem that this is possible, because these are two opposite things. But it turned out that the sounds of nature, like white noise, mask all extraneous sounds, so that we are less distracted while working. In addition, such music has a positive effect on cognitive function and concentration. The participants of the experiment, who listened to the sounds of nature during the working day, said that they felt satisfied with the work done and life in general.
At the same time, it does not matter whether these are "pure" sounds of nature or only melodies with their addition. In any case, the positive effect will not take long to wait! And the best part is that this method is also simple and free — you can find and listen to such music on the Internet (for example, on YouTube).
Favorite songs
Each of us has at least a couple of favorite songs that we are ready to listen to all day long. So what's stopping you? Do you think that music will distract you from your work? And here it is not! Teresa Lesiuk from the University of Miami found that listening to your favorite songs is one of the best ways to relieve stress. And it is better not to make any decisions in a stressful state, including working ones.
Also, listening to your favorite songs improves your mood. Especially scientists advise to do this for beginners in the team. In the first days of their work, they are usually very worried, so such a playlist (and it does not matter what genre of songs it will consist of) will help them relax and concentrate on the main thing.
Music that you don't care about
Each person has a different perception of the environment, so the methods that will be ideal for one person, for another — may not work at all. Research from the University of Taiwan supports this idea. Scientists have found that some people when listening to their favorite music, on the contrary, lose concentration, plunge into their deep thoughts, forget about everything and almost start singing along (some can!).
At the same time, compositions that do not cause them absolutely no emotions, make them focus on their work. But don't turn on the music you hate! These should be neutral songs, such as those that are often played on the radio.
Instrumental music
According to the results of Sound Masking Studies and References, words in music distract a person and force him to switch from the current activity to parsing the text and thinking about it. Of course, not all people are affected by this phenomenon — as we said above, everyone perceives the environment differently. Nevertheless, the results of observations showed that about 48% of people when listening to music with words have a significant drop in productivity.
Therefore, scientists advise to give their preference to instrumental compositions. And it is desirable that it is not heavy metal, but some classic-playing the piano, violin, and so on.
Baroque music
How many scientists — so many opinions! For example, a group of researchers from the University of Baltimore and the Hospital, together with colleagues from the University of Philadelphia, said that the main thing is not the music, but what its tempo is! Their observations showed that people who listened to more dynamic compositions performed better on IQ tests. And the favorite was the music of the Baroque era.
Similar results were obtained by scientists of the Malaysian Engineering College. They were able to learn that listening to music with a tempo of about 60 beats per minute helps to relieve stress and physical fatigue. Professional musicians call this tempo "larghetto" ("larghetto").
Medium volume
Whichever of the above methods you choose for yourself, additionally follow one more recommendation! Scientists from four different universities have found that listening to music at medium volume has the best effect on a person's brain activity.
According to research, moderate or high volume has a good effect on abstract thinking. But at the same time, the human brain begins to process the information coming to it more slowly.
Therefore, the main thing that you need for high-quality work is to choose the necessary melody, whether it is the noise of the forest, a Bach composition or a favorite song LJ, turn up the volume, get comfortable, and then get down to business!
Do you listen to music while you work, or do you prefer to work in silence?
Keywords: Attention | Sounds | Research | Music | Productivity | Work | Scientists