Music remains one of the most magical, inexplicable, and fulfilling aspects of the human experience. It can be a simple distraction or a work of art, but the science behind it remains the same. Music is sound, a vibration, organized over time.
From work to school, mental health research to developmental studies, music has proven to have a profound impact on humans. This article will explore how music affects your behaviour, mood and personality.
HOW MUSIC AFFECTS YOUR BEHAVIOUR
Listening to Music in the Workplace
Similar to working out, music can help you stay focused and active, even when you’re carrying out mundane or repetitive tasks.
Teresa Lesiuk, an assistant professor, working on a music therapy program at the University of Miami, researches the effect of music in the workplace. She studied various information technology specialists who listened to music while completing some task. She found that those who listened to music completed certain tasks more quickly and produced more creative ideas than others. Lesiuk believes that a large part of this is due to how music affects one’s mood.
In a survey conducted by PRS, seventy-three percent of workers were more productive when background music was being played, sixty-five percent of businesses say music in the workplace makes them more productive.
While many of the research remains anecdotal, it still signifies the power music can have on distancing one’s self from the chaos of reality and finding a rhythm and structure to doing one’s task. It can enhance focus and efficiency.
Always remember that songs that you like can be very helpful in getting your work done. However, here is a list that can help you concentrate when doing a task:
- Flying lotus – Flotus
- Jon Hopkins – Lost in Thought
- Slowly Drifting – Chris Russell
- Baroque Classical – Serenade in G Major
- Blue in Green – Miles Davis
Music Can Help You Learn
With all the positive effects of music on your brain and body, it is not difficult for people to draw the connection between music and its effect on learning new concepts or ideas.
One of the most popular theories is the “Mozart Effect”, which claims that playing the compositions of the classical composer, Amadeus Mozart, can raise the IQ of those listening. Researchers from both Harvard University and the University of Wisconsin have conducted tests that suggest music can raise one’s overall IQ by about ten percent. These studies’ findings remain disputed however.
Whether the Mozart Effect is real or just an urban legend, we have already discussed the ability of music to allow its listener greater control over their cognitive abilities. The same goes for learning in a classroom or a library- music can block out the external world while helping the student remain concentrated on whatever they are studying.
Recommended Music to Help You Study
Dr. Georgi Lozanov spent over 30 years of studying how music affects memory and learning. These pieces are proven by Dr. Lozanov to help you concentrate in your studying.
Here are some of the pieces of classical music you can play:
- Concerto in D Major of Beethoven
- Concerto No. 7 in D major of Mozart
- Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor for Piano and Orchestra of Tchaikovsky
- Concerti Grossi No. 2, 5, 8 and 9 of Corelli, Op. 6
- Symphony No. 67 in F major and Symphony No.69 in B. Major of Haydn
Music Can Affect Your Driving
In a survey carried out by the London Metropolitan University, the pace of music played in a car can affect how the driver performs and how fast they drive. They found that mid-tempo music, such as The Scientist by Coldplay or Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake were the safest songs to drive to.
Hip-hop music resulted in the most dangerous or risky driving, while metal resulted in the fastest driving from the male participants. The researchers believe that setting a medium paced song will best assist drivers.
HOW MUSIC AFFECTS YOUR MOOD AND PERSONALITY
Rather unsurprisingly, one’s mood can be affected significantly by the music they listen to. But in a study published in PLOS ONE by Durham University in the UK and the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, listening to sad music was able to elicit both joyful and melancholy sentiments.
Another study published in the Journal of Consumer Research suggested that people tend to listen to sad music when they are going through a painful loss or breakup because music can have a comforting and reassuring feeling.
People tend to connect to music most when it tends to highlight their particular situation or express the emotion they are attempting to achieve. So if someone is trying to stay relaxed and calm, playing a slow and soft song can be more appropriate. On the other hand, if you want to feel self-confident and hyped up, playing hip-hop and rock music can make you feel more energized.
By Alex Frank, Music Instruments Center (MIC)
