In today’s day and age, I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t like listening to music. But is it possible that your choice of music can affect your intelligence and wellbeing?
According to Harvard Health Publishing (Medical School) survey respondents, “Of those who reported often being exposed to music as a child, 68% rated their ability to learn new things as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good,’ compared to 50% of those who were not exposed to music.”
Additionally, “Active musical engagement, including those over age 50, was associated with higher rates of happiness and good cognitive function.”
The American Psychological Association synthesized information from Psychologist Assal Habibi, PhD, an assistant research professor at the University of Southern California Dornsife’s Brain and Creativity Institute, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (YOLA), which conducted multiple studies showing that students in the YOLA program performed well on “tasks unrelated to music, including on executive function tasks involving working memory and delayed gratification.” Data also showed that YOLA students showed “greater development in brain areas related to language and auditory processing.”
So, we know that listening to music can improve our cognitive abilities and improve learning skills. However, a 2019 study done by the European Journal of Social Science Education and Research showed that students not listening to any kind of music recalled more items from a memory test compared to their peers who either listened to lyrical or relaxing music. This demonstrates that music was distracting for memorization.
Maybe it varies. I personally work well when listening to music, specifically fast paced music which helps me work quickly. This isn’t to say that it doesn’t decrease my memorization abilities. Genres such as pop can activate regions of the human brain related to “movement and coordination” (VeryBigBrain). Perhaps this is why I move quickly along with the rhythm of those fast-paced songs. The classical genre can stimulate brain regions “involved in attention and memory” (VeryBigBrain).
Does this claim counter the results of the 2019 study? Yes, it does, however results vary per person.
It’s important to note that music can activate reward centers in human brains depending on what music the listener enjoys (PubMed). So, if you don’t like classical music, it’s more than likely that you won’t focus on memorization when listening to that genre, just because you don’t like it. It’s similar to trying to focus when you have an alarm on; if you don’t enjoy the music, you will only be distracted by it as your attention will linger on the fact that it bothers you.
What’s even more interesting is that if you listen to any song that elicits a strong emotional response, you will probably be distracted. Any emotion-inducing song will divert your attention from the task at hand, even if you enjoy it (Healthline).
The next time you set work or study goals, take into consideration the music you’re listening to and how it will affect your progress, or if you want to listen to any at all.
See you in my next post, Nicole.
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