Studying with music certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but many students do find that it helps them concentrate and focus better on their work. But exactly how does listening to music help you study? If you’re one of the many who like to slip on headphones before diving into a textbook, you’ll be pleased to know that your habit can offer the following benefits.
Are you in the habit of turning on your favorite song when you’re feeling stressed out or down in the dumps? There is scientific evidence to suggest that music can indeed help reduce stress and improve your mood.
One study from the National Library of Medicine found that listening to music has a positive effect on the psychobiological stress system.2 Another finding from a 2021 study found that patients receiving medical care in intensive care units (ICUs) experienced significantly lower pain and anxiety.3
No matter how much you love your chosen field or enjoy your classes, studying can be stressful. It’s perfectly normal to feel some anxiety ahead of a long study session, particularly if you’re nervous about doing well on a test. If you find that music allows you to reduce your stress and improve your mood, then go right ahead and put on those headphones before diving into your work.
Doing well in school requires a substantial amount of studying. You may need a bit of extra motivation to tackle a tough assignment or get through a study session. This is another good reason to try studying with music. Being able to study while listening to your favorite music can be enough of a motivator to help you get to work.
In fact, research suggests that rewarding yourself with your favorite music can be just as effective for motivation as promising yourself a different sort of reward for getting through a study session. A study done by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that music can activate the part of your brain recognized as the reward center (or the nucleus accumbens), which can increase dopamine transmission that is associated with feelings of pleasure.4
Do you find yourself checking social media every five minutes when you’re supposed to be studying? Or perhaps you often text your friends when you’re supposed to be writing a paper for class. You may benefit from listening to some music instead.
A Stanford study found that when people listen to music, certain areas of the brain are engaged. These areas are responsible for enabling people to pay attention and make predictions based on learned information. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers discovered that classical composers unknowingly used musical techniques that optimize the way in which the brain can organize information.5
As a student, you’ve likely heard quite a lot of commonsense advice about improving your study habits. Students are often advised, for example, to create a dedicated study space that eliminates all outside distractions. Yet, it can be all but impossible to create a completely distraction-free study zone, particularly if you’re living on a busy college campus and you have one or more roommates.
Listening to music on your headphones while studying or working on class assignments can be a good solution to the problem. This way, you’ll only have to listen to the sounds that inspire and motivate you, rather than the sound of other people talking, sneezing or doing any number of activities. It’s helpful if you’re able to invest in a pair of high-quality headphones, such as noise-canceling headphones.
