Music and study: keep the volume down instead of turning it off?

While most parents will insist their children turn off their music while studying, there is a growing body of research suggesting listening to music can actually help with understanding new concepts, and retaining information. One way that music can help during study sessions is that it can put students in a better mood, which naturally leads to them putting in more time on their work. As long as the music isn`t too loud or distracting, it can create a relaxing ambience, in which students are more feel comfortable.

Back in the 1990`s Professor Gordon Shaw proposed something called the `Mozart Effect.` He hypothesised that listening to Mozart could temporarily increase IQ. Specifically the piece of music that yielded a nine point rise in IQ was Mozart`s Sonata for two pianos in D Major - though he conceded the boost in IQ dropped after 10 minutes.

`It`s not that the Mozart will make you permanently smarter,` Dr. Shaw informed The Los Angeles Times in 1993. Listening to such music, he speculated, might provide `a warm-up exercise` for certain regions of the brain that are involved in abstract thinking.

While students may not be able to rely upon music to actually increase their IQ, there are certainly benefits that music can provide to someone studying.

<h2>Music reduces stress levels and improves mood</h2>
There is plenty of research showing listening to music can lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Pleasing music is known to reduce the flow of blood to the amygdala - commonly known as the fear centre of the brain - while also diminishing the production of cortisol (termed the `stress hormone`) while increasing levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. Reduced stress and higher dopamine levels will lead to increased motivation for learning, and a raised enthusiasm for exploring new concepts.

<h2>Music can provide motivation</h2>
Perhaps the major hindrance to study is a lack of motivation. Even the most capable students will have times where they lack the energy or inclination to get on with their work. A 2019 study carried out by the Montreal Neurological Institute indicates that Music activates reward centres in the brain, which are connected to dopamine levels. If you incorporate music into your study schedule, you will be more inclined to get down to work.

<h2>Help with memorisation</h2>
According to the research institute `Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience` Music can significantly aid with memorisation. The study cited classical music as the genre that had the most positive cognitive effects, with `semantic memory` (concerning word recall) receiving the most considerable benefit

<h2>Improve focus</h2>
A 2007 study carried out by Stanford University concluded that music (once again classical music) can actually help the brain process and absorb information with greater ease. How this works isn`t entirely clear - as with so much concerning the brain and learning itself, we simply don`t know the processes involved. There is speculation that, with classical music often being more `detailed,` and containing more discrete events per unit time, listeners may become more attentive to what their are listening to, with this heightened awareness also affecting concurrent learning and cognition tasks.

<h2>What music to listen to</h2>
It is important to point out that, though the case has been made as to the potential of music to assist with studying, there can also be a potential negative effect to listening to music while engaged in academic work. Many studies have shown that the music most promoting focus and concentration during study is music without lyrics, lacking any kind of articulated vocal content. The reason for this is that words have a way of hijacking the mind in a way that purely instrumental music does not. Words allied to music are an extremely potent force, and one which can prove to be overly distracting for study. If classical isn`t for you there`s plenty of other music you could seek out: Ambient or `chill-out` music styles could be explored, with examples of these genres readily available online.

Keeping the volume low a must. The purpose of the music is not to dominate your senses, but rather to create a background ambience that is congenial to study. Overly loud music will disrupt your thought processes, and interfere with your work.
   
Another tip, and one that may sound a little contradictory, is to avoid music that you enjoy too much, or that you are emotionally connected to on some way. Putting on your favourite playlist will certainly prove too much of a distraction, and may call to mind associations that have little to do with study. It`s best if you have a series of songs that you only listen to while studying - in this way your mind will associate the music with work, and you will find it more easy to focus.