Whether in the library or the office, it is not uncommon to see people working with earphones or headphones in their ears. For good reason, listening to music allegedly boosts concentration and efficiency. If the scientific community is divided as to the real usefulness of this practice, music lovers are much less measured.
Nearly a quarter of British workers and students say the fourth art helps them get into “work mode”, a new Canon/OnePoll survey reveals. Many people think they are more motivated when they work while listening to music, which helps them achieve better results (40%).
Music essential to good productivity
Generally speaking, the British attribute many virtues to music. Some 17% of them are convinced that listening to music helps them to be more creative, while 40% say that this activity helps them keep going over time. Because, to hear them, the fourth art makes revision or work sessions more fun. In any case, this is what 35% of respondents say.
It should therefore not be surprising that some are unable to work or study otherwise. More than 15% of Brits say they would find it difficult to carry out certain work or school tasks at home without music playing in the background.
Fortunately for them, there is an abysmal quantity of playlists on the Internet that are supposed to promote concentration and efficiency. But supporters of working with music seem to have their favorite pieces to maximize their intellectual abilities. That’s why 11% of individuals surveyed created their own musical selections to help them focus on what they need to do.
What about the Mozart effect?
But does music really make you work better? Nothing is less certain. Many followers of this practice rely on what is commonly called “the Mozart effect”. This concept was theorized during the 1990s, following the publication in the scientific journal Nature, of a study affirming that the compositions of the Austrian genius of classical music would promote learning. But decades later, researchers from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Vienna came to the conclusion that there is no scientific proof of the “Mozart effect”, after studying around 3,000 cases compiled in a forty research works.
Working in music is therefore more a question of personality than of efficiency. But if you really want to do it, it is advisable to listen to unknown or slow-paced songs. Listening to music you like triggers a release of dopamine in the brain, which helps create a feeling of pleasure and serenity. But it also promotes deconcentration, which produces the opposite of the desired effect. You are free to weigh the pros and cons.
Slide: The benefits of music on our brain
