Music to Study Better

Music helps to study: it has been proven. Here’s what you need to know, plus a playlist of songs to help you study. Let’s start with scientific discovery.

Recently, Spotify, the site specializing in music on-demand, hired psychology and learning experts to investigate the effect music has on studying.

The results of the research show that it is important to choose the right music according to the subject of study because each musical genre is able to leverage each hemisphere of the brain, helping our mind to concentrate, therefore in learning.

In fact, music has a positive effect on the mind, and listening to the right genre can increase the predisposition to understanding, so students who listen to it get better results on average than those who don’t.

Now, the next step is therefore to understand what it is …

The Right Music for Every Brain Hemisphere

Again the research we talked about earlier (by Dr. Emma Gray of the British Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Counseling Service in London) has also emphasized that, with regard to logical disciplines such as mathematics and science, suitable music must have a calming effect on the mind and aiding concentration; while for humanities and more creative subjects, such as languages, art, and theater, the music used to improve results must be more exciting and able to reflect the emotions of the student.

This happens because each hemisphere of the brain is controlled by different “rhythms”: the right hemisphere is the one that influences creativity, the creation of original ideas, and therefore the side of the mind most stimulated in the study of artistic and humanistic subjects, while the left one is characterized by assimilation and logical reasoning.

It has been shown that many students who have listened to classical music while studying mathematics have obtained an average higher grade; it seems in fact that the melody contained in most the classical pieces helps to concentrate and therefore to memorize more information; moreover, the symphonies of the great masters have the effect of prolonging the study session.

Simply put, classical music relaxes the nerves and instills the necessary tranquility in every student, thus helping him to focus.

Mozart, for example, conceived his compositions following “parameters of sound to calm the nerves”.

The Mozart Effect

The “Mozart Effect” refers to the beneficial and positive results produced by music on the intellectual activity of each individual.

Classical music, in particular, also has a profound effect on mood, so much so that it is often used in medicine as a support to therapies, because it helps to calm and reduce stress, one of the main enemies of even the best students.

That’s why every successful student has a folder with songs on their computer to help them focus and relax.

If you don’t know Mozart and you don’t know where to start to listen to some of his symphonies useful for your concentration, you can start here:

• Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat, K. 482 2.
• Violin Concerto No. 5 in A, K. 219 3.
• Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 20 in D minor K 466.03 Rondò
• 

Still, Active Listening Should Be Avoided

Of course, if it has been proven that the right music helps to study, it is equally well established that when one does study, not any piece is good.

In fact, most types of music are not suitable for concentration, because it deconcentrates and interrupts the rhythm of the mind that is learning.

This is the case, for example, of certain vocal music, which contains lyrics and words, and refrains, such as pop, rap, and techno genres: these types of music encourage movement and follow the rhythm of the song, distracting from the study of the subject, because the mixture of chords and harmonies of these musical genres are designed to “hook” the listener, which is the reason why many reasons enter our heads and we want to listen to them several times.

This is however extremely counter-productive to studying. If you don’t want to study and just want to music, then delegate all your tasks to an online essay writer. Nevertheless, this is a whole other option.

According to the Subject, You Study… Choose the Suitable Music

Pay attention to correctly matching the material to the rhythm.

As you read above, if you are dealing with numbers, because you have to prepare for a math test or remember historical dates, choose classical music from Beethoven, Mozart, Rossini, or any other composer of your choice.

If, on the other hand, you are engaged in the study of arts or humanities, it is better to prefer rock and pop genres, old glories like the Rolling Stones or new idols to your liking: the important thing is that the rhythm of the music is stimulating for your brain.

Playlist: Musicians to Listen To

Here is a ready-made playlist with some musicians that I often use when it comes to studying but also to work:

1. Yann Tiersen
2. Enya
3. Ludovico Einaudi
4. Pink Floyd
5. Bob Marley

To Sum Up

Well, I hope that this information has been useful to you and that it has given you some of that “desire to do” that just thinking about music puts in all of us.

Rupali Gupta

Rupali Gupta is a blogger and professional writer who loves to write about technology and entertainment. Techzimo is one of her successful websites filled with great tech news, Know more about her on Youtube Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram