Productivity with background music

Had to pause the man screaming (🤘🏻) in my ear to read a wordy task description. I think I read each sentence twice until it clicked. And then I wondered: is music hurting my understanding of what I read?

Being a curious boy, I decided to investigate. I pulled up my trusty research tools and went to theory town. "How does background music impact my brain?" I asked in science speech. Unsurprisingly, there's a lot of research papers on this.

Mozart–Schmozart

You might have vaguely heard about the Mozart Effect.

Back in the 90s, it was a hypothesis that took the world by storm: listening to Mozart for just 10 minutes improved people's performance on spatial tasks! The conclusion was obvious. The snobs had won. Listening to classical music makes you smarter. Or so it seemed.

While initial studies sometimes replicated the effect, many others failed. Eventually, several review papers outright debunked the direct link between Mozart and enhanced spatial reasoning.

The idea of the Mozart Effect wasn't entirely a waste. It sparked curiosity about the broader impact of music on the brain.

the Arousal-Mood Hypothesis

After the Amadeus confusion, the research shifted focus. Scientists began exploring the “Arousal-Mood Hypothesis.”

This hypothesis suggests that music doesn't directly rewire your brain for specific tasks. Instead, it primarily influences your mood and arousal (how alert or calm you feel).

• Up-tempo music tends to increase arousal, which can be helpful when you're feeling sluggish or doing repetitive tasks.
• Slower tempos might make you calmer and may help with focus.
• Music perceived as happy can boost positive mood and creativity.
• Sad-sounding music might increase mind-wandering, which could be less ideal.

It seems there is a sweet spot: music too stimulating can be distracting, while too little may not have any effect.

More concentration and less comprehension?

The answer is simple, right? Just listen to the right energizing music and become a productivity beast!

Eh. Not so fast.

While music might sharpen focus, research suggests it can disrupt tasks that need deep reading, complex analysis, or critical thinking.

It does that by interfering with tasks that tap into the same brain resources needed to process the music itself.

Sidenote: For those with musical training, subconsciously analyzing music might interfere with tasks like math or coding.

Choose wisely.

“It’s personal now”

Adding another layer of complexity, the "right" background sound is deeply personal. Music's impact is shaped by factors like your personality and neurodivergence.

For instance, some research suggests extroverts might benefit more from background music than introverts. How well you generally concentrate also influences music's effect on your performance.

Similarly, your baseline alertness plays a role. If you're already feeling focused, music might be more of an unnecessary distraction. If you're feeling sluggish, it might provide a needed boost.

Mentally drained? Music to the rescue

Research tells us that music offers a potential benefit related to productivity: combating mental fatigue.

While much research focuses on boosting performance, there's also evidence that music can help when your energy levels dip. For instance, music might alter your perception of effort, helping you push through and stay productive longer. It can reduce feelings of fatigue and sharpen mental clarity.

Binaural Beats: a special case

No discussion of music and productivity would be complete without mentioning binaural beats. Lots of research on that too. Although, nothing conclusive.

(Whether these sounds technically qualify as "music" is a fun debate for another time – read my article about defining music).

The idea is that listening to binaural beats can ‘sync your brainwaves’ to specific states, improving focus, relaxation, or memory. While some studies show modest effects, stay skeptical. Evidence supporting these claims is limited.

That doesn't mean they are not worth exploring, but don't expect miracles. If you find binaural beats work for you, great! Beat away!

Practical tips for using background music

So, how can you use background sound effectively?

Before hitting play on that “Focus Piano” playlist, consider these tips:

1. Match the music to your task

2. General principles for using music

3. Finding what works for you

Trust your own experience and remember: your worth isn’t measured by your output.

Research I've used to write this article

I rely on my own analysis of research, using tools like ResearchRabbit and Asta to help in discovery. I use Zotero for managing research material and Obsidian for the knowledge management.

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