Can We Juggle Studying and Listening to Music?

By Jiwon Kim

  We often see students using earphones while studying in libraries or cafes. A number of students who do so is on the rise as technology develops at breakneck speed. Now that students can access music with the click of a button, they are using the convenience to juggle music and studying at the same time. But is this a useful and effective strategy? Or is it just a distraction, pulling students away from their possibilities?

  We can begin by exploring the opinions of people who believe that listening to music while studying can improve their performances. Music creates a pleasant mood and atmosphere while studying, according to those who support that listening to music while studying is effective. Studying can be stressful, but relaxing music can help reduce it. In longer study sessions, when stress levels are high, many students prefer this mix-up. The right kind of music may help to put them in a more positive frame of mind. For example, if a deadline is looming nearer, relaxing music can help to keep these people in a positive mood. According to ‘Frontiers,’ research shows that good mood and emotions generally lead to better studying outcomes. This means that, if used well, music may contribute to better study outcomes.

Taking this topic further, we have another question to ask. Does the Mozart Effect exist? Mozart Effect is a  theory that listening to Mozart's music can temporarily boost a portion of the IQ scores. Mozart's music would likely boost our brainpower, helping to improve our ability to study. About 20 years ago, when this theory first came into existence, the effect it had on normal citizens was huge. Children, newborn babies, and even cows were made to listen to songs composed by Mozart. However, further studies show that the Mozart effect has less to do with the notes themselves, but with the mood it makes and when the effect does take place, it is short-lived, about 15 minutes in reality. We can see that the Mozart effect would not have a big effect on our study outcomes.

Now let’s look at the opposing side  about whether listening to music while studying is effective. This side argues that music is a distraction, causing us to lose our concentration as a result. According to Frontier, whether the music has something to do with the task or not, our brain just can’t ignore the music being registered. This is because auditory information is always registered first, making it much harder to concentrate on studying. This is related to our working capacity. Working capacity is the amount of information our brain can hold temporarily. As music is considered an ‘information’ to our brain, it gives a burden on our working capacity.

In conclusion, listening to music has both pros and cons. Music is a good idea when the studying atmosphere is very tense and in need of being relaxed. This could help lighten the mood, allowing us to concentrate better. When doing so, try to avoid songs with lyrics, as they harm our concentration, but focus more on soft songs. But other than these situations, study sessions with no music would be nice, too. Let's remember that music can be an amazing aid when used properly, so let's make sure that it is used effectively.