Listening to music can improve our lives in all kinds of ways. Many of us use music while exercising, to regulate our mood, or at work.
But does listening to background music while working really improve productivity?
It’s a controversial topic. Some people swear by it, while others find the pain distracting. The study agrees that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
The best way to use music at work depends on several factors, including your personality traits, what you do, and what type of music you listen to.
Here’s how to find what's best for you.
who are you
Your personality has a significant impact on whether background music is productive or distracting at work, and it’s related to your unique optimal arousal level.
Arousal in this context refers to mental alertness and the preparation of the brain to process new information. Background music can increase it.
Research shows that optimal levels of arousal promote a “flow” state, which improves performance and productivity.
Introverts may not need as much external stimulation, such as music, to help them focus. Ground photography/Shutterstock
Introverts already have a high baseline level of internal arousal.
Adding background music can push you beyond optimal levels and reduce your productivity.
Extraverts, on the other hand, have lower baseline levels of internal arousal and therefore require more external stimulation to perform at optimal levels.
This is why introverts can perform worse than extroverts when the background music is particularly rousing.
what are you doing
Research shows that the nature of the task you’re doing can also have an important impact.
Because of the connection between music and language in the brain, it can be especially difficult to listen to complex music, especially music with lyrics, and try to read and write at the same time.
However, if you’re performing simple or repetitive tasks such as data entry or manual tasks, having music in the background can help your performance, especially upbeat or complex music.
These findings may be related to the effects of music on motivation and maintenance of attention, as well as activation of reward networks in the brain.
Complex music can improve performance on some simple or manual tasks. Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock
type of music itself
One important but often overlooked influence is the type of music you choose to listen to.
Research has shown that fast, loud music can be more detrimental to complex tasks like reading comprehension than quiet, slow music.
Other studies have found that listening to calming music can benefit memory, while aggressive and unpleasant music can have the opposite effect.
However, these effects also depend on your personality, familiarity with music, and musical tastes, so the type of music that works best for you will vary from person to person.
Music is very valuable and helps with alertness, mood and motivation.
Choosing music that is meaningful, challenging, and makes you feel good can improve your performance, especially when performing simple tasks.
The type of music you listen to can have an impact. Samuel Sianiper/Unsplash
What about complex tasks?
In general, it appears that the more complex or demanding the task, the more distracting background music can be.
One way to harness the motivating and uplifting effects of music to increase productivity at work is to play music before you get to work.
Using music to boost your mood and alertness before you start your workday may make you more productive on that task.
Playing music right before a task provides benefits while reducing the risk of distraction. XiXinXing/Shutterstock
Playing music before difficult tasks has been shown to particularly improve language skills.
So, if you’re trying to perform a cognitively demanding task that involves reading, writing, and feel like having music playing at the same time might be distracting, try listening to music right before you perform the task.
find what suits you
Music can be helpful or detrimental to productivity in the workplace. The best advice is to try different tasks and different types of music to find what works best for you.
Start by playing your favorite music while performing simple tasks.
Does music help you work through your work, or does it distract you and start getting more into it? Listening to music with a strong beat without lyrics may help you focus on the task at hand.
If you find that music is distracting you from work, try scheduling a few music breaks throughout the day. Listening to music during breaks lifts your mood, increases motivation, and improves productivity.
It has been suggested that moving your body to music increases reward processing, especially in social situations.
Dancing has the added bonus of being able to get up from your chair and move in time, so you get bonus points if you can make it into a dance break.
Read more: Music education can make you a better employee. Are your recruiters on the same page?
