Is listening to music while studying beneficial? I love to listen to music for relaxation, but I was unsure if it is a good idea of listen to music while I study. So, I decided to do some research to find out if there are any benefits with listening to music while studying. In this article, I will introduce the 5 most important benefits I have found.
5 benefits of listening to music while studying:
- Helps with concentration
- Eliminate boredom
- Stimulate the brain
- Improves motivation
- Lower stress
Generally, listening to music has many benefits. Knowing the exact benefits in relation with studying can be tricky. From my research, I have identified the 5 most relevant benefits, mentioned above, that helps to improve our studying experience. Without a doubt, studying and listening to music has its benefits. While true, you might want to be aware of some details to the choice of music and its benefits (Which you can read more about it in this article).
1) Helps With Concentration
Studying is a mentally intensive activity. We will want to minimize the effects of distractions on us while studying. As these distractions might drain us of our mental energy. This is where listening to music can help.
When we listen to music, it can help us block out surrounding noise that may distract us. By doing so, it can help us to focus better. Improving our concentration.
2) Eliminate Boredom
It can feel boring at times when studying. You have seen your notes many times already. Nothing new or interesting is happening with it. Things starts to feel boring, and you find your focus starting to falter.
Listening to your favorite music can help to remove the monotony of the boredom that might arise during revision. It can help you to alleviate your mood. This makes it easier for you to stay interested and energized instead of bored.
3) Stimulate The Brain
The tunes and rhythms of music can help to stimulate your brain. It has even been found that certain music can even enhance your creativity.
For finding the type of music to help you to stimulate the brain’s creativity, read this article.
4) Improves Motivation
At its core, music has the ability to alter mood. As you listen to specific type of music, your mood can become more positive. This has an effect that can improve your motivation.
When you are spending hours on your study revision, it is important to keep your motivation high. That way, you will be able to complete your planned study revision effectively. Finding the right set of music playlist to listen can improve your motivation. You can find advice on music selection here.
5) Lower Stress
Studying can be stressful, especially when you have an exam approaching soon. And, this feeling of stress can lead to unnecessary anxiety. It can become counterproductive to your studying.
Listening to music can help to lower your stress. This can be achieved by music’s mood-altering ability. Do note that it is important to select the right type of music. Not all type of music will help to lower your stress. You need to find the type of music that can lower your stress.
Will Music Not Distract Me?
Even with all the benefits of listening to music while studying, it might not be beneficial to everyone. Some people might find that studying to music is distracting them. This can happen if your mind is too focused on the music while studying.
In such a situation, listening to music might not be ideal.
However, like I have shared above, the right music choice is important. This is because there is a wide range of different music available. Each music type is so different.
Also, the same music has different effect and emotional impact on different people. Therefore, you cannot judge whether a music is suitable for you to listen while studying based on others’ preferences.
The best course of action is to try listening to different type of music while studying. Feel and evaluate the effect of the various types of music on your ability to study. Then you will be able to decide which music will distract you or not.
Study Music Selection Guide
| Type of music choice | Mood elicited | Rhythmic? | Focus enhanced | Sample music from YouTube |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classical Music | Stimulates the Brain | No | Mind-boosting | https://youtu.be/GRxofEmo3HA |
| Nature Music | Helps with concentration | No | Keeps your brain engaged by increasing concentration | https://youtu.be/eKFTSSKCzWA |
| Epic Music | Eliminates Boredom / Improves Motivation | Yes | Can make you feel like you’re doing something grandiose to change the world; empowers and lifts you up | https://youtu.be/guXMb7zLblM |
| Cinematic Music | Improves Motivation | No | Can be empowering, lifting your spirits and brightening your mood | https://youtu.be/U5IailIzqdc |
| Music between 50 and 80 beats per minute | Lower Stress | Yes/No | Triggers brain’s more relaxed alpha state of mind that allows us to be more receptive and open, and less critical | https://youtu.be/uuZE_IRwLNI |
| Video Game Music | Helps with concentration | Yes/No | The music has been composed specifically to help you focus on your task without being distracted by a cacophony of sounds | https://youtu.be/HJvZWvecU4Q |
| Your favorite music | Improves Motivation | Yes/No | – | – |
More Ways To Improve Your Studying
Other than listening to music, there are other ways you can improve your studying.
Have A Clear Objective
Before you begin studying, you should prepare yourself with a clear objective to achieve in your study session. This will ensure that your studying is focused and not aimless.
Take Breaks
Take short breaks while studying. That means you should not push yourself to study for hours without stopping. As a rule of thumb, if you have studied for an hour, you should take a 10 to 20 minutes break before continuing.
By taking breaks, you can successfully avoid exhausting yourself. Additionally, after a break, your mind will be recharged to continue study effectively.
Stay Healthy
Getting adequate sleep and eating well is important to life. It is even more important for someone who is studying. You should not sacrifice your sleep and meals to rush through your study revision.
Only by staying healthy will you be able to study at your best.
Each night, you should try to get at least 7 to 10 hours of sleep. Sometimes, it is better to sleep slightly longer to feel more rested than waking up at a fixed time. Feeling well rested means you are energized to study well, and learn better.
While studying, ensure that you are not skipping your meals. Being hungry when studying does not help you. Your mind will not be able to focus, and you are needlessly pushing yourself.
Conclusion
Listening to music while studying has many benefits. However, its benefits might vary based on the combination of type of music and individual. Therefore, it is important to find the type of music that suits you while studying.
Importantly, listening to music alone is not sufficient for better study. You need to include other ways to improve your study, such as having a clear objective, taking breaks, sleeping and eating well.
Related Questions
Should I listen to music for other tasks beside studying? You can listen to music while working on other tasks beside studying. The benefits of music can be applied widely. It is not limited to just studying.
What is a popular music type to boost concentration? A popular music type that can boost concentration is classical music. There are many findings that suggest classical music with its abstract sounds help to stimulate the brain. Thereby, it has become a much talked about music type to boost concentration.
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Thank you so much for the links for listening! I always thought music would distract me until I tried a study session with classical music. if you concentrate not on the music but on your studies and the music just plays in the background, that’s great. It really is relaxing, stress-relieving. I agree that it doesn’t work for everyone, but if you don’t know, it’s better to try it. Classical music is my favorite for studying.