The myth of playing music while studying.

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ABOUT DR JUSTIN SUNG
Justin is a former medical doctor, full-time learning coach and consultant, top 1% TEDx speaker, and educational author. He is invited to run workshops and courses on learning efficiency for Universities and organisations worldwide. Over the past decade, he has worked with over 10,000 learners from 120+ countries. He is the co-founder and head of learning at iCanStudy, an international cognitive retraining organisation for self-regulated higher-order learning. His area of expertise is in bridging the research-practice gap by equipping educators and learners with critical examinations of the latest research through a practical lens. He specialises in higher-order learning and thinking skills, self-regulated learning, deep processing, and growth mindsets.
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[noahparker]

Speaking for those with ADHD I can’t hardly get into flow without YouTube’s Lofi Music or Spotify’s Hyperfixation Playlist. So do what works for you.

[dignitasdusted]

For me I listen to study music sometimes but if I’m really just tryna focus I turn on some nice 4k rain and wind sounds.

[thestep]

I find my mind can race too much when it's totally quiet, having some non distracting low key music/sounds helps quiet my mind to the task at hand.

[shresthaswagatika]

I'm simply loving the fact that a lot of sensible comments are there. A bunch of people with different opinions and perspectives about their study experiences. I might sound weird but I am loving it.😅😅

[FlyingOctopus]

I think that music is more about motivation than about focus. It's easier to force yourself to do things when listening to music. If you can do things with or without music, it probably doesn't have any effect.

If you need music to study, it's probably a sign that you have to make your workflow more engaging. So you wouldn't have to add music as an enjoyable artificial mental load to be more engaged.

[thatskums]

I think everyone's brain works differently and making broad statements like Music is not helpful is incorrect. I for one have been listening to music while studying for years. And I'm not talking about classical music or lofi or something. I listen to music with lyrics and I am still able to focus well not despite the music but because of it. Without the music, I'm underestimated and want to leave my desk every 5 minutes and with the music, I am able to calm the part of my brain that doesn't want to study and wants to do something fun. I consistently get good grades too, so if music works for you, keep using it!

[BD-jypn]

Brown noise has been a life saver for me. White noise is too high frequency for me, causing me to become restless.

[jinx]

Ironically I’ve been studying for psychology and can now somewhat explain this. Looking at the working memory model. Articulatory and acoustic processing, so producing language or sound (this can even be in your head or on paper) which is studying takes “mental resources”. An addition of music (acoustic processing) or sound (especially with language you can understand) takes additional “mental resources”, away from your articulatory process (studying) making it less effective. However I still use music and in some cases it is about balancing overall feelings of anxiety with efficiency to create the best result. Clozee is a nice artist to listen to without any lyrics.

[JustinLietz]

For me I can really feel when I’m thinking deeply about something and I take little pauses while learning to try to digest and understand what I am reading or learning, and music often distracts me or holds me back from getting that depth of focus

[juansinaga]

no wayy, i was just about to start my routines on classical music. been using it for the past few days now and I can only say I'm hooked. perhaps it's each to every own.

[IanRinehart]

Music increases motivation. Like it is a lot easier to get through a workout with music than without. Your workout might be higher quality without it as you will focus on individual reps more likely. But you are much less likely to go without music. Just like your much less likely to study without music.

[freneticgamer]

As others have stated: it helps me and experiment to see what helps you. For me- sometimes if something stands out truly grasps my attention because I don’t understand it or want to delve further for more context- I need total silence for a moment to give my total concentration to what I am doing. If it’s just casual work or writing- I prefer music with no lyrics so that the words don’t distract me and the music serves to relax me or motivate me depending on what I need at the time.

[thylionheart]

Complete opposite experience for me. I concentrate best with heavy EDM that I know by heart so it can fade into the background (‘cause my brain isn’t “learning” it). The worst is when I can hear “café sounds” like you said—I cannot stand doing homework in a public space without headphones, I cannot focus and get very irritable. I’m autistic so in my own personal experience, familiar & predictable sounds like music are far more conducive to concentration and comfort.

[glwfrxt]

AdHD study methods should probably be studied separately from others. Like me, most people have racing distracting thoughts innately even without outside noise. Some noise is incredibly distracting but for me(i take medication) I often need to play drum&bass type music or japanese indie rock etc. Needs to be relatively loud, give me a sense of speed and rythm but sometimes languages i understand are too distracting. It also needs to fit my mood. In a way, since my thoughts are the distraction, and they are very loud and racing, i need to match that energy so it replaces the thoughts and i can focus that energy on studying. In a way its similar to how you adjust the white noise to the distractions. When I look for study music it sounds too relaxing and makes me impatient in a way. Medication also increases the heartbeat and comes with some level of anxiety, so that can be a factor too.

[InnerGiggles]

This must be very person specific. Movie scores are my go to. I must have them playing in the background. They drown out everything that distracts me and the ups and downs of the song keep me stimulated. I like a white noise machine but it will put me to sleep after a while. Can’t do music with words, that’s distracting.

[Death-ondq]

Listening to music does help me focus, I just need to use music that fits the situation to get the best results

[hilaryhamm]

Instrumental jazz works. Country sounds are soothing, but café rain sounds help a lot with focusing. Whatever it is, it has to be background.

[uvuvuwewenyetwe]

he is right, to truly deeply solve a problem, you need to use all your mind, and if u have music on the background, it gets harder to notice the points you have to connect.

[deanVodkahouse]

I've got ADHD and listening to music when on my phone or laptop distracts me, I struggle to focus even without music so with it makes it even more difficult where I struggle even more to do what I'm trying to do whether that's even chatting to friends I find music still puts me off

[TechnoSan]

I hear music while doing tasks that don't require much thinking
Like cleaning, working, copy writing etc