So err on the side of music that’s less likely to distract you, like instrumental tracks with no lyrics. Science says music can be a productivity booster, or a distraction. So, to boil it all down, here are a few seemingly science-supported rules to keep in mind when considering whether to hit “play” on your work playlist. Almost every study seems to indicate that music or no music depends on the situation, the person, the type of work, and other factors. There’s other research that says music can be a hindrance to doing good work. There’s research that says listening to music while you work can be beneficial. What science says on this subject isn’t perfectly clear. Introverts, on the other hand, performed significantly worse on memory tests if they listened to music during the tests than if they completed them in silence. Published in the Applied Cognitive Psychology Journal, this 1997 study showed that extroverts who listened to music during a memory test had better short- and long-term recall. One interesting study showed introverts may want to skip the music and work in silence. Your Own Personality Comes Into Play, Too But on the other hand, music that had lyrics tended to distract workers and actually caused their productivity to decline. In other studies, researchers found that not all music is created equal when it comes to productivity.Ī number of studies done on background music in the workplace had similar findings: instrumental music gave workers a boost in how much work they could get done in a short amount of time. The Music You Choose Can Boost or Lower Your Productivity There’s some science that indicates music might make you less productive in certain circumstances. However, the studies that have been done on the link between music and productivity don’t make an open-and-shut case for picking out a playlist for workdays. Should you only listen to music during your breaks? Maybe!Ī study published in the journal Psychology of Music found that when students listened to music in between tasks, they were able to concentrate for longer stretches of time and ultimately performed better academically. Listening to Music Between Tasks Can Boost Productivity In his book, he wrote that music can make repetitive tasks more enjoyable, and make it easier to concentrate while you’re doing them. Researchers concluded they did better work because listening to music eased some of the boredom that comes with doing rote tasks.ĭaniel Levitin, the neuroscientist who wrote This Is Your Brain on Music, agrees with that study’s findings. Music Can Make Repetitive Tasks More BearableĪnother study, published by the JAMA Network, showed that surgeons tasked with repetitive tasks in the lab (outside of performing surgery) showed improved performance when they worked while listening to music. If music has the ability to elevate your mood, you can use that to boost your productivity at work times. That’s not directly related to productivity, but you already know you do better work when you’re not stressed, anxious, or grouchy. At the end of the study, the participants who listened to music had lower tracked levels of the stress-induced hormone cortisol, indicating they had been less stressed for the duration of the study. Patients in the study who were about to undergo surgery were either given an anti-anxiety medicine or told to listen to music. One of the best ways music can help boost your productivity is by putting you in a better mood.Ī study published in Trends in Cognitive Science found that music does better at combating stress and anxiety than actual anti-anxiety medication. There are a ton of different studies that show how music might affect productivity, but in more roundabout ways. The scientific link between music and productivity isn’t as simple as music makes us more productive. Music and Productivity: What Science Tells Us Think the right playlist could take your coding to the next level? You may be right. Still, the science around the link between music and productivity is worth considering. Of course, listening to music while you work may not be conducive to deep work, and there are other factors at play here, like the type of music you choose to listen to (coding to a raucous polka? Maybe not the best move). Studies have shown that people who listen to music while they work tend to be in better moods, produce work with fewer mistakes, and work more efficiently. Science tells us that programmers who listen to music while they code might actually have an edge over their colleagues. Those who put on their headphones, throw on the perfect playlist, and get to workīut does this all come down to personal choice, or is one method superior to the others?.Those who can work anywhere while just tuning out the noise in the background.Those who need complete silence while they’re coding.
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