“Turn that music down. I thought you were doing your homework!” Perhaps you have heard or said this before. Those who listen to music while they do homework believe music helps them concentrate. This debate has been repeated over and over, but the real question is, does music actually help you concentrate or not? Researchers have divided it into five different categories, neuropathy, synapse, demographic, music, and musical genre. Each category is important in the debate of music and concentration. (“The Effect of Music on Memory”)
Neuropathy, music, and musical genre are the three important categories. Without them, we wouldn’t know very much about music and the brain being connected. Yes, that’s right, music and the brain are connected. …show more content…
Not just any music will keep distractions at bay. Some companies have tried using pink noise, or PDF. Pink noise is a less interfering version of white noise. White noise is a continuum of frequencies equally distributed over the whole hearing range. It masks background noise in an office and aids in sleep. (“White Noise and Co.”) Pink noise has been broadcasted in offices to boost productivity and reduce distractions, but the effectiveness of this is mixed at best. It is clear, or seems clear, the type of music is important. The nature and style of the music can cause specific changes in the brain. For example, sad music gives you a melancholy attitude. Some studies suggest it really is down to personal preference. Music you like increases focus, while music you don’t takes away focus. There is extreme variation from person to person, therefore exposing a group of people to just one type of music would probably cause mixed results. The type of music also has a big impact on mood. Truly bleak music could sap enthusiasm for a task, while exciting music can make you finish a task very quickly. Something else to look out for is catchy lyrics. Music without words might be better because speech and vocalization is something our brains pay particular attention to, and sometimes this can distract us. Something that might work is a video game soundtrack. Some argue that the best music is a video game soundtrack. This makes sense when you consider the purpose of video game music: to create an immersive environment and to facilitate, but not to distract from a task that requires constant and total attention. Music evolved to be pleasant, entertaining, but not distracting. The composers, probably not intentionally, have been manipulating the attention system of the brain for years now. (“Does Music Really Help You
Neuropathy, music, and musical genre are the three important categories. Without them, we wouldn’t know very much about music and the brain being connected. Yes, that’s right, music and the brain are connected. …show more content…
Not just any music will keep distractions at bay. Some companies have tried using pink noise, or PDF. Pink noise is a less interfering version of white noise. White noise is a continuum of frequencies equally distributed over the whole hearing range. It masks background noise in an office and aids in sleep. (“White Noise and Co.”) Pink noise has been broadcasted in offices to boost productivity and reduce distractions, but the effectiveness of this is mixed at best. It is clear, or seems clear, the type of music is important. The nature and style of the music can cause specific changes in the brain. For example, sad music gives you a melancholy attitude. Some studies suggest it really is down to personal preference. Music you like increases focus, while music you don’t takes away focus. There is extreme variation from person to person, therefore exposing a group of people to just one type of music would probably cause mixed results. The type of music also has a big impact on mood. Truly bleak music could sap enthusiasm for a task, while exciting music can make you finish a task very quickly. Something else to look out for is catchy lyrics. Music without words might be better because speech and vocalization is something our brains pay particular attention to, and sometimes this can distract us. Something that might work is a video game soundtrack. Some argue that the best music is a video game soundtrack. This makes sense when you consider the purpose of video game music: to create an immersive environment and to facilitate, but not to distract from a task that requires constant and total attention. Music evolved to be pleasant, entertaining, but not distracting. The composers, probably not intentionally, have been manipulating the attention system of the brain for years now. (“Does Music Really Help You