Music, Mood and Memory
Do you enjoy listening to music while you study? Many studies have seen varying results on the effect of background music on one’s mood, memory and concentration, depending on the type of music and the individual’s preferences. However, what are the types of music that are optimal for study sessions?
Tempo
The tempo of your music can increase or decrease arousal. While learners with little arousal are not engaged enough to really invest in the learning process, too much arousal can cause feelings like anxiety. Thus, a medium level of arousal is optimal for learning. You may consider listening to music with a medium tempo for studying!
Mood
Positive emotions are associated with better learning outcomes. Music has a huge influence on one’s mood, so when curating your next ‘Study Playlist’, you may consider adding songs with a lighthearted, happy mood (i.e. major key, positive connotations) to boost your mood!
Research has also found that listening to soothing music can reduce anxiety and stress. Genres like rap and hip-hop have been shown to have an uplifting effect on its listeners and alleviate mental health, while classical music has been proven to aid with insomnia and memory.
Cognitive function
Music has been proven to help improve cognitive performance due to the different parts of the listener’s brain it stimulates. Moreover, memorising content such as the periodic table in songs is easier for most people, as our brains look for patterns to better understand, recall and process information.
However, background music may interfere with your working memory especially when the same subsystem of your brain is being used to process information. For example, it is difficult to write essays with music containing lyrics, but easier to solve mathematics questions with the same type of music.
Despite its benefits, music does place a burden, no matter how small, on your cognitive load, and a good balance of learning with and without music should be sought after. It may be helpful to understand your personal preferences and working memory capacity before your next music-filled study session!
Sources:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01902/full
https://www.fnu.edu/benefits-studying-music/
https://www.heartmath.org/assets/uploads/2015/01/music-mood-effects.pdf
By: Shana Lam