The University of Maryland Medical Center reveals that students should listen to music. Music has been shown to relieve stress in both healthy and sick people. Research finds that listening to soothing music can decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety levels in heart patients (UMD Medical Center).
This statement reveals the powerful effect songs alone can have on the human body. A Stanford study found that “music moves brain to pay attention”. Researchers utilised musical compositions from the 1800s in their study. They found that “music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions, and updating the event in memory”.
Music choice is influential in brain processing, revealing, the goal of the study was to look at how the brain sorts out events. But the research also revealed that musical techniques used by composers 200 years ago help the brain organise incoming information. Music is found to help people perform better in high-pressure situations.
A 2020 study at a university in Texas concluded that students who listened to classical music while studying, during lectures, and while sleeping performed better in exams. As well as proving that the students’ quality of sleep was enhanced, it showed that it activated a process known as “targeted memory reactivation”. This stimulates the brain to consolidate memories and is the same type of process that causes memories and emotions to be triggered by scent.
Efficiency Variables
On the other hand, listening to the wrong music while studying can hinder our learning because it can be a distraction. This is especially true when the music is playing at an excessively high speed or loudness. Additionally, studies have indicated that music can harm our working memory, which is the form of memory that is used for learning and problem-solving. Therefore, some can hinder our capacity to read, making it more challenging to assimilate and process information. This is especially true of songs containing lyrics.
Music as a Mental Workout
Numerous scientific investigations into the impact of listening to music while studying have uncovered a variety of advantages. According to research, it can increase our motivation and elevate our mood by reducing stress. They have also demonstrated that listening to particular genres can sharpen our focus and enhance our memory, which is possibly even more significant. Similar to how exercise energises our bodies, music also helps to invigorate our minds. When we do this, we are actually working out our brains, making them more powerful and effective.
