Music & Learning: How Do They Go Together (Or Not)?

We all love music. We may be fans of different genres, but the truth is the same here and there – we can’t live without music. From classy Beethoven tunes to rock of the eighties and today’s Ariana Grande’s songs, everyone can find something up to their taste. Taking into account how much people love listening to or playing music, it’s no wonder that it has some positive impact on the academic process. As a result, the great effects of studying aren’t long in coming. In this article, we’ll focus on how music affects the learning process and whether listening to music has a positive impact on human health in general.

Music Boosts the Focus on Learning Process Students Lack

Are there tasks that require much focus and mental effort? Music can help! Listening to your favorite songs can help you concentrate and cope with the most challenging projects for college. What is more, music can also cut off various distractions and create the so-called conducive learning environment that helps stay focused on a particular task for a long period of time.

Music Combats Stress & Anxiety

When it comes to solid mental well-being, music is one of the instruments that can help you battle stress and actually relax after all those tests, lectures, argumentative essays, and research papers. The reality is that the calmer and more relaxed you are, the better you will feel and the better your academic performance will be. Neither stress nor anxiety help undergrads fulfill their college dreams. What is more, being constantly stressed makes most students neglect their classes, being completely demotivated to perform better.

As you listen to your favorite music, your heartbeat will sync in time with the song’s rhythm. For that reason, students who feel stressed regularly should turn on the music that lowers their heart rate when busy with homework. Thus, you will be able to cope with the whole scope of tasks without feeling nervous and wondering, “When will all this finally stop?”

Music Boosts Productivity

If you lack productivity to get some college tasks done on time, try to work on those while listening to music. Nonetheless, it is crucial to keep in mind that the effectiveness of music in honing productivity can vary from student to student, based on your preferences and the type of home assignment you’re stuck with.

Music Helps Cut Off Distractions

While music tunes help students in school, college, or university when it’s time to focus on test preparation, work on a team project, or imagine yourself a pro argumentative essay writer with a deadline for tomorrow, it actually catches your attention and never lets you distract from the task at hand. Make sure to experiment with various genres and playlists to create a list of songs that, you know, will 100% keep your mind off all the existing distractions, including social media notifications and even your thoughts (the ones that have nothing to do with home assignments!).

Music Makes You a Happy Learner

The truth is that happier college and university students tend to outperform their class fellows academically. What is more, based on the students’ level of happiness, one can easily predict their academic performance in the future. In order to maximize that level, it is recommended to get engaged in learning activities that include listening to the sounds of music. This will boost students’ mood and help them progress with tasks that involve collaborative work. For instance, some happy and upbeat tunes will contribute to positive moods and stimulate dopamine release in the brain. All this, in turn, will definitely put young people in a class in a state of positive feelings.

Music Helps You Perform Better on Memory Tasks

College students have to deal with tons of new information like no other. Based on the research “The Cognitive Effects of Listening to Background Music on Older Adults,” listening to some classy tines might help succeed with tasks that include intense use of memory. According to the research, certain kinds of music can hone memorization abilities and a range of other cognitive functions. The human brain gets stimulated in the same way your body does during the workouts. The more your muscles get exercised, the stronger you become. That’s how it works with the music as well.

Can Music Hurt?

In some cases, yes. The truth is that there’s no music that is bad for studying. Instead, there are genres that might not be good for you particularly. It is important to try different music genres to see what works best for workout sessions and what should be there when you’re busy with college home assignments. Let us check the list of ways music can actually have a negative impact on the process of learning or studying:

• Music distracts. When you’re listening to the tunes that keep you working and motivated to do more, it’s fine. However, some inappropriately chosen songs or too loud music may just interrupt the process and take your thoughts elsewhere.
• Reading comprehension can be lowered. Some types of music (the ones that are too fast or with lyrics) can make it impossible to understand what you’ve just read. So, if you’re busy with the “Hamlet” book for tomorrow, you better turn those tunes off or choose something that includes zero lyrics.
• Interference with memory coding. As we have already mentioned above, music can boost your memory in some cases. But the reality is that it can also interfere seriously with the initial info coding. If you turn on emotionally charged or complex tunes, you may soon find your cognitive resources totally diverted away from coding new academic materials.
• The effect of music…vanishes. College and university students who prefer using music to memorize things may find themselves unable to recall the materials in the silent exam environment. So before you dive into the routine with the music accompanying your studying session, ensure it will be as easy for you when the sounds go off, and you’ll have to take tests or pass exams in silence.

So, how does music affect studying? In a great variety of ways, for sure! The impact that various genres can have on study habits is determined by every student and their learning habits, approaches, etc. If you know you get easily distracted, it is better to avoid genres and songs that you know will distract you from work. The music that can do that depends exclusively on your tastes and preferences. In other words, what may keep you concentrated on a college essay may be a complete distraction for your fellow students. So, it really depends on who you are and what your productivity levels are. Finally, we would strongly recommend choosing music you don’t have (much) strong feelings about. If you choose the tunes that evoke particular feelings or memories, you’ll surely fail to concentrate on the tasks at hand.