While attempting to study, many students find the ideal setting to be a deserted area with their playlist to block out any unwanted noise. Although students may feel they are best focused in this way, listening to music while studying merely distracts them.
Music sidetracks students while studying, faulting their performance and taking more time away from other activities.
When they listen to music, people’s minds bounce from one task to another, meaning they cannot focus on both tasks at the same time.
As a matter of fact, only 2.5% of people can actually multitask well. This means the majority of students are hindering rather than helping their performance when they listen.
Multitasking not only detriments performance, but it also creates more time completing the task. What students may think is helping them focus is actually a detriment to their already limited time.
It is true that music may help students to block out any unwanted noise. Of course, blasting anything straight into their eardrum is going to take away from other sounds, but it is not any better than the outside noise around them.
If they are not able to hyper-focus and block out every noise, students are going to be hindered no matter if they listen to the sounds around them or their earbuds, making the best studying location a silent room with no distractions.
The fact is multitasking does not work, and listening to music is going against research itself.
Although students may think that listening is increasing their productivity, it is not and only taking from both their performance and their time.
When sitting in a loud classroom not being able to focus on a thought passing though your mind, you need a way to focus. Music is a great way to help drown out all other sounds and zone in on the work. Whether it be math or English class, listening to music can help to get rid of all the other distractions.
Music can make you feel more motivated. Certain sounds you listen to can improve your likeness to remember the things you are trying to study. This will raise your chances of getting better test scores. Some music is known to make the distractions less prominent.
There are certain genres that will actually make studying even easier. It varies for everyone in what genre will help them most.
There can be artists even that make the focus stronger. Finding one might not be easy but it will be beneficial to the overall come of the study session helping to remember better. It could be a good start to try classical, jazz, or even natural sounds.
It can also help to lower the stress levels in the environment around. It is like when you are having a bad day and listen to your favorite song to get your mood up. Your mind will have a similar reaction to the music and calm you down. This will help retain the information better.
These are just a few of the ways that music makes studying easier. There are many tests run and studies done involving people listening to music versus without music while studying to show that music has many benefits.
Trying different ways to study can help you to find the best way for yourself and music is known to be one of the best universal ways to retain information.