Music has accompanied us throughout our lives, and today it is possible to listen to it on a player, radio, iPod, mp3, computer and even on our mobile; which makes us enter a different mental state according to the genre to listen to, there is music to dance, exercise, have dinner with our partner, among others. However, today we want to touch on an interesting point, the music to study. Below we will show you all the information we have collected in this regard; so that you can understand how it works, why, how to choose suitable songs and some interesting tips.
Use music to study effectively
As we mentioned, music allows us to enter a state of mind according to the situation. In the case of studying, many people do not like to be in complete silence and sometimes it is possible that where we are there are noises that can distract us; so the best option is to opt for music.
This option is mainly offered for those who want to study, since that calm and quiet place can cause boredom or drowsiness in some people; just like studying in a noisy place does not allow us to concentrate properly. While music, with a relaxed and calm style, allows us to acquire that tranquility to concentrate on what we want to learn. However, some professionals indicate that using music is counterproductive based on these reasons:
- The concentration levels of people decreases by having to pay attention to music at the same time they are studying. Which causes them stress and in turn, decreases their attention span.
- According to some professionals, when we listen to music to study, we are damaging our memory because what we have learned will last for a short period of time.
- On the other hand, they state that those who use music for learning affect their productivity by taking longer to learn.
Why else should we listen to music when we study?
Despite these comments, it should be noted that each individual is totally different. There are people capable of studying with music and others who are not; in the same way that some have the possibility of learning with more lively genres than others and vice versa. Therefore, it would all be a matter of trying and following the advice or recommendations that we will explain shortly in order to find the ideal music for our studies. Also, here are some reasons why you should listen to music while you study.
- In our body, the brain is responsible for monitoring the situation in which we find ourselves; which means that a quiet place can harm our brain, since it will be monitoring every sound. So music can help you stay more focused and think less about it.
- Music improves concentration according to other professionals, a theory rejected by previous experts. But these explain that its effectiveness lies in the manner of employment and the person in question; which means that what we hear does matter and will depend on the abilities of each individual to concentrate or study.
What musical genres are recommended to study?
We have already reiterated that the musical genre is an important factor when studying. So now we will show you some of the most used and effective.
- The first option is the classical music, because its style generates harmony with our environment and even allows our moods to improve. In addition, it benefits creativity and productivity.
- On the other hand, we also have the instrumental music and background music. The first option allows us to relax and listen to any song that we know in its instrumental version; while the second gives us a state of tranquility with the sounds of nature.
- There is also the electronic music; but the one that is chill or environmental, since we are not going to choose a disco song, obviously.
- Finally, I would like to recommend the soundtracks of some video games or movies.
Recommendations for studying with music
Creating a list of music to study is not a complicated process, but we would like you to take into account several aspects. The main one is gender, a point on which we have placed great emphasis. Then pay attention to the following aspects:
- Create the playlist in advance is the most recommended. Imagine that you have not, you should be changing the song every moment; affecting your productivity and distracting you from studying. For that reason, you should create the list before you start studying. You can create it wherever you want, but we recommend making it quite wide and randomizing it so that each time you listen to it it is different.
- Avoid listening to music in any radio transmitteras you will have various distractions such as announcers and commercials.
- La playlist duration It may not be too long to know that when it is finished you will have to rest for a few minutes. Although it is also valid to add a reminder on your mobile to notify you, in case your list is very long.
- You can avoid creating the list by going to sites like Youtube, where the users create their own lists for different situations; as music to study, work, write, among others.
- Volume is an extremely important factor, as it must be controlled. The idea is to use the music in the background, so it should be there and not be stronger than our thoughts when studying.
- Finally, remember that the place where you are studying and the techniques used are also fundamental points. For the first, it is recommended that you look for a nice place; while the second is to select a technique that goes hand in hand with your study skills.
Tips for choosing music to study
- Try to choose classical music primarily. If you think it's boring, it's not your style or it just makes you sleepy; go for the other two recommended options. However, my opinion as a lover of music to learn and write is that you can choose any genre that you like. For this, I recommend looking for songs that you do not know (so that you cannot distract yourself thinking about the lyrics) and even better if it is in a language that you do not understand; for example indie songs in french.
- Classical music is the most recommended, especially that of Mozart; Since there is the well-known "Mozart Effect" that increases concentration, improves productivity and allows you to relax.
- You can use nature sounds, which is quite relaxing. But you could try for example, create a rainy environment and play music. I have done it and I liked the results, but as always, it depends on each person.
- Each subject can have its own genre or style, that is, for a topic that has to do with history, maybe you need to be quite focused; so classical music is good. But if you are studying and practicing math or physics, maybe you can do it with something more fun. Although remember that it depends on the person, if you like history and hate math, you can try the other way around.
They say that the best music to achieve good concentration is the one that allows the study rhythm to be synchronized with that of the song; which according to studies, it has been determined that they are the songs that have 60 or 40 beats per minute. This aspect is fulfilled with classical music, especially "baroque music", which is highly recommended for this task. But as we said, it depends on you, your tastes and skills.