Menzies 1 Stirling Menzies Malcolm Campbell English 1103 6 November 2013 Soundtrack to Successful Studying?

There appears to be differing opinions on the subject to whether or not music is beneficial in regards to studying. Though there are dozens of scholarly arguments to both sides, a real answer is still lacking. The purpose of this paper is therefore not to present an answer, but instead to explore and communicate the research that is available. The study of the psychology of music must be explored, in order to discover whether music can benefit studying. The subsequent paragraphs will discuss musics effect on mood or disposition, whether or not music can encourage concentration or have a distracting effect, and if indeed music can help a person study, which genre of music helps the most? Though the topic being explored seems to be limited to musics mixing with studying, the overview can be applied to other tasks that require focus or learning. The information would benefit all students alike to even the finance guy working in a cubicle. This would, in turn, boost productivity in workplaces, boost students grades, even go as far as to improve ones quality of life. So, not only would students and workers be anxious to know the answer to this question, but also the parents and teachers of the students, and the employers of the workers. Throughout human history music has had a profound impact on every known culture in the world. People of all ages, regardless of whether or not they are aware of it, are moved emotionally by different types of music. For example, everyone can recall a specific time in which a piece of music has caused a perceivable sensation. Whether it be sadness caused by the

Menzies 2 blues, happiness caused by pop, the urge to dance or tap your feet, or even goose bumps during a powerful overture. These are all examples of the impact music can have on a persons psychological state. The question becomes whether or not this impact can be applied, beneficially, to a persons study habits. The psychology of music in the workplace became a hot topic in the 1940s, leading to a search for a way to boost employee morale and productivity. During the testing of the theory that music would improve workers attitude and therefore improve workers output During this time, testing was performed on a theory many believed could boost employee morale and productivity. Music is proven to improve athletic tasks (Edward, 1604). With this, the basic task of someone working production is similar to a low level athletic task; meaning music should be able to drastically improve the production output. Studies show that with the right music (uplifting, 60 beats per minute) a persons outlook can be improved (Elite Daily). In a study to screen the moods of people going through bad parts of town, subjects who were listening to music found even going through this location to be enjoyable (Healthlines). With this in mind, does a student study more efficiently in a good or bad mood? Preferable, I would want to be in the best mood possible to increase my chances of continuing studies. Becoming frustrated with studies due (from do) to lack of a positive mood most likely hinders, even prevents further studying. Negative moods are even proven to affect a persons judgment and perceptions of objects and events (Science Daily). Mood is a deciding factor for our outlook, a poor outlook can hinder studying (even prevent it), and likely this poor outlook will end in an insignificant study session. Researcher Jacob Jolij and student Maaike Meurs of the Psychology Department of the University of Groningen have shown how music can have a substantial affect on a listeners

Menzies 3 perception of the world. In the study, Jolij and Meurs, had students ranging in ages from 18-25, listen to upbeat, happy music and slow, sad music while a computer would flash multiple smiley and frowning faces. When the faces that flashed on the screen were all frowning faces, listeners reported seeing at least one smiley face (even multiple on occasion). Similarly, when numerous smiley faces covered the computer screen, the test subjects would still spot a frowning face when listening to was testing the slower, sad music (Science Daily (italics)). From these conclusions, it is perceived that music can and will have a profound effect on a listeners perception. Seeing things that are not there is the result of the top-down process of the brain, Jolij talks about the discovery that perception can blur reality, and what affects this? Well, mood, Jolij believes. The brain builds up expectations not only through ones experience, but on their mood as well. When music can go to the extent of blurring your discernment of what is real and what your brain is making up, one might ponder the effects that might carry over to ones perception of their studies or job. This mood alteration can be used to an advantage when handling different scenarios. For instance, in the mid-1980s, a 7-Eleven tried blaring Beethoven in their parking lot to rid the store of its loiterers (Midgette). Surprisingly, this worked well. Later, in 2001, the West Palm Beach Police decided to use the same tactic on a street corner where crime was prevalent. The police noticed incidents almost dissipate from that street corner. Many other forms of this experiment have taken place, with all yielding the same result; the only problem that remains isis all the improvement coming from the classical music being played aloud? When mood can alter an individuals emotions and perception, its likely that the disposition will in turn, affect the effectiveness of an individuals study session. Due to this, one might be advised to avoid depress(ing)ion, slow music that might cause a listener to project that

Menzies 4 sadness sorrow onto the studying. I could only guess that this would have a significantly negative effect to the studying being done. Due to the nature of this occurrence, when listening to upbeat, positive sounding music might yield a supportive, beneficial study session. If one possesses a positive attitude or perception, they are likely to project those feelings onto their studies, therefore making the study session pleasant and enjoyable. Dr. Lesuik, assistant professor for the music therapy program at the University of Miami, also found the affects of ones mood to be a large contender on their work performance (Pandani). When listening to music, the brain releases small quantities of the chemical called dopamine (Pandani). Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that assists the nervous systems communication with other nerve cells (Pandani). This release of the very pleasurable compound dopamine leads to the satisfaction of a moving song. Dr. Lesuik applied this study to another study focusing on improving worker productivity and creativity. While Dr. Lesuik only gives an example of exploring the productivity levels of information technologist specialist, she appears to believe that music will improve work productivity. She uses a few examples of professional workers who enjoy listening to music everyday at work, including lawyers, writers, and agency workers. Not everyone has a positive mood while studying, but his or her mood may not lean towards the side of a negative mood either, possibly there is the chance of having a neutral mood. What other factors participate in a productive study session? Concentration practically radiates with importance. Not only this, but concentration happens to be a fragile process and can easily be broken with any number of distractions. One might think Adderall would or should be the answer to this, but what if music could assist concentration? (Change to question) The questions to ensue are, does music thwart concentration? Does every style of music do this? For

Menzies 5 instance, complex music or the music that contains lyrics might distract the listener more than music of ambient genre or instrumental music. Since (changed because) complex music and music containing lyrics demands more attention than an ambient one, the concentration of the studier is easily broken. Not surprisingly, different people have differing preferences with regard to music. We cannot be put into the same cookie cutter personality, so what one person may find especially calming, another could perceive as annoying or even offensive. Because of this, the need arises to explore the typical sensations people derive from certain genres of music. Usually, the tempo of a piece of music has a lot to do with the feeling a person receives when he or she listens to it. If a selection of music has a fast, or upbeat, tempo a person is more likely to feel energetic when listening to the music. Conversely, the slower a piece of music, the less energetic the listener feels. Thus, the most obvious conclusion to draw would be that upbeat music, such as pop, rock, electronic, or new wave, would equate to better studying. However, because of the personal preferences discussed earlier, this is not always the case, as some people would simply be distracted by these genres. From personal experience ambient music appears to be the best style of music provide a better atmosphere to listen to while studying. This genre is not only relaxing and not only that, but has the ability to influence a persons subconscious. Ambient provides a smooth, background noise that provides a relaxing disposition, (changed from allows for a calming mood) providing mental rest, and maybe the power to focus? Generally, the absence of lyrics in music allows for more focus, this is all due to humans lacking ability to truly multitask (Gustavson). When music that contains lyrics is being played, youre more likely to use your focus on following the lyrics of the song, rather than keeping focus on the intended subject.

Menzies 6 Thus, ambience, classical, jazz, and post-rock appears to be the best options in studying. Now whether or not the music actually helps one study is still in question. In a recent study done by Dr. Emma Gray, a specialist in cognitive behavior therapy, music has been said to assist students in studying (Elite Daily). Not only this, but differing genres will benefit different types of studying. While jazz, classical, and ambient are more fit for logical thinking and problem solving, punk, rock, pop, and dance provide better creativity flow for art, media, fashion, and drama. Dr. Gray has even teamed up with company Spotify to create playlists pertaining to the certain regulations for studying of a variety of subjects from language to the arts. In close relation, there is an idea that classical music can have beneficial effects on a students memory and ability to think logically (Jenkins). This so called, Mozart Effect, has been attributed to improving a listeners spatial reasoning skills after only listening to one of Mozarts piano sonatas. The blood pressure of the test subjects lowered and the special IQ average was 8 to 9 points higher. The conclusion to this result was that there was a phenomenon known as Mozart Effect, and essentially, ones intelligence could be improved by simply studying with classical music playing in the background. The draw to the simplicity of improved cognitive skills has turned many into fans of classical music. I remember being in middle school being told by a teacher that, classical music has some extra spunk that other genres of music do not have, it will even make you smarter! Sadly, I do not believe that this information was true, but at the time I was willing to give the Mozart Effect a try. While the information on the Mozart Effect is tremendously supportive of the idea of music benefiting studying and focus, the information has become outdated.

Menzies 7 Although classical music has always been said to have this so called Mozart Effect, a recent study was released stating that the effect is nonexistent (Spitzer). Nicholas Spitzer, from the University of California, says that listening to classical music has no effect on the brains capacity to learn and be active. Similarly, a study by the New Jersey Institute of Technology concluded that students who study while playing music in the background scored significantly less than the counterparts who studied in silence (Xiaopeng). This could be due to the fact that our brains can only process one auditory noise through our phonological loop at once (Gustavson). It is through our phonological loop that we engage our short-term memory, so if it is being disrupted by the lyrics of a song, our phonological loop will hiccup on recalling both auditory noises. Take for instance listening to two people talk simultaneously, there is no way to completely comprehend both conversations, likewise listening to music while studying or reading will cause clashes in what your brain tries to process (Gustavson). Since music containing lyrics will disrupt the phonological loops process of storing memory, instrumental music has been looked at in hopes of avoiding this effect. In their study, the psychology students looked into the effects of music containing lyrics versus instrumental music. To do this, a memory test was used with students ranging in ages from 19-25. Each participant was given a list of twenty words, they were then allowed thirty seconds to memorize as many as possible. Following these thirty seconds, test subjects were allotted 15 seconds of silence to begin recalling the words and ended with a one-minute time limit on writing the words down. Each participant was given three lists: one accompanied by silence, one list with an instrumental hip-hop song playing, and a final list with the same hip-hop song, but containing lyrics.

Menzies 8 Throughout this study, participants were tested on the ability to recall words from memory and were screened for repertory rate and galvanic skin responses. The results help put this subject into some light. The average number of words recalled was recorded for each test. The mean of words remembered during silence was 6.9, for the instrumental version of the hiphop song, 6.45 was the mean, and lastly the hip-hop song containing lyrics had a mean score of 6.4. Looking at these results one sees that the average number of words recalled declined with the addition of the instrumental AND the song with lyrics. These studies are not so alarming, in retrospect. Through the research of this topic many sources have shed doubt on the validity that music truly helps one focus instead of distract, and have done so justly. In the beginning of this inquiry paper I likened listening to music while studying and listening to music while working. While they might seem similar, studying with music can have serious repercussions on your short-term memory, therefore hindering your studying (site), but with working, one is able to perform monotonous tasks that professionals call athletic work, meaning work that does not require intellectual involvement. Though one can be more productive in performance of athletic work, quite the opposite applies for any intellectually involved work and/or studying, due to this, I believe that studying with the assistance of music is unlikely to benefit ones study time.

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Works Cited Cossar, Vicki-Marie. "Listening to music while you study makes you smarter." Metro. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. Gustavson, A., Simon, B., Henneken, K., & Moldysz, A. (2009). The Effects of Music on ShortTerm Memory and Physiological Arousal. Quarterly Journal Of Experimental Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. "How Music Affects Our Moods." Healthlines RSS News. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.

"How Listening To Music While Studying Makes You Smarter. Elite Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. Jenkins, J. S. NCBI. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013. Kotenko, Jam. "Judge Miley Cyrus All You Want, but a Study Claims Listening to Her Music Makes You Smarter." Digital Trends. Digital Trends, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. Midgette, Anne. "Blasting Mozart." Washington Post. N.p., 20 Jan. 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.

"Music Changes Perception, Research Shows." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 Apr. 2011. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.

Menzies 10 Pandani, Amisha. "The Power of Music, Tapped in a Cubicle." NY Times. N.p., 11 Aug. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Spitzer, Nicholas. "Classical Music Doesn't Improve Brain Function, Study Claims." Last FM (2013): n. page. Web. Oct. 2013. Xiaopeng, Jiang, and Arijit K. Sengupta. SMC, page 3261-3266. IEEE, (2011)