Counterintuitive Spring 2023

Music without lyrics helps your focus better than music with lyrics. Many different people use music as a way to calm down and focus on doing things such as cleaning, work, as well as exercise. The topic I am addressing today is that it is better to listen to music without lyrics to allow your brain to fully concentrate on any task at hand by not distracting you from singing along to music while still being able to have the music. Research in the National Universities shows that music can alter your focus, what they discuss in this article is different genres of music. “Music has the potential to take a person from the Beta brainwave state to deeper Alpha, and then Theta brainwave states, depending on the music,” explained Dr. Masha Godkin. Being able to have brain waves be altered by music is a big key point in this research. It shows that music has the ability to alter your productivity. It was also stated in this article that “According to Godkin, it’s good to stick with classical music. One reason this genre works well is that there are no lyrics to distract you.” When listening to music people tend to sing along whether it is in your head or out loud. Singing in your head is almost enviable because you are aware of the song as well as the words about to be said. When you listen to instrumental music without lyrics your brain will not focus on the lyrics and have music in the background to still aid in the focus you need to do whatever task is at hand. 

When listening to music you might ask yourself, okay if the problem is following and singing along to the lyrics what if i listen to music in a different language. The problem with that is, if you know a percentage of the language you will focus even more on trying to understand what is being said as well as putting pieces together to get an understanding of the phrases being said. “Music is a very useful tool in such situations. It provides non-invasive noise and pleasurable feelings, to effectively neutralise the unconscious attention system’s ability to distract us.” As explained in the article by The Guardian What is being explained in this article is music’s ability to distract us from the task we are doing, making us complete it in a faster and more efficient way. As I am completing this assignment right now I am listening to music. It aids in my production as well as how fast I am working to complete it. On different occasions I find myself focused more on the music rather than the assignment, prompting me to sing along and dance. When I begin to feel like this,  I alter the music genre to something else. I tend to find myself listening to calming instrumental music because I have found another problem with this theory. If I were to listen to the instrumental music of a song I know I would find myself humming and or singing along to the melody. Instrumental music of no specific song allows my brain to be stimulated as well as focused without the worry of the lyrics distracting me. 

There is also different music that enhances the amount of focus in your brain for example as addressed in the article “ A lot of companies have tried using pink noise (pdf) – a less invasive version of white noise – broadcasting it around the workplace to reduce distractions and boost productivity.” different wavelength noises alter your brain in many different waves, causing different reactions as well as productivity. Music has been proven to enhance productivity as well as mood, “ It’s been proven that listening to certain types of music in specific situations can boost productivity and mood, from enhancing the quality of your workout to reducing stress and anxiety.” ( SHAZAL 2022) it is explained that music is used in many different ways for the best outcomes of your mental as well as achievements. 

There was a study discussed in the article about music improving your memory, which consists of memorizing lyrics and I know some people may say if I hear a song it correlates with what I need to remember, but it’s too much for the brain to comprehend at once. Having lyrics be remembered as well as what organ is to the left of your chest can cause some issues. “Science shows that music can help improve cognitive performance.” The study taken then showed that students were able to perform faster and more focused on a test than without music.  In an article Annika Hope discusses the various benefits of listening to music while studying. In this article she speaks about how music can motivate students and keep you studying for longer periods of time, she also addresses how it aids in cognitive function as well as your overall enjoyment of the task. “ Music = endurance”. 

In an article from study.com it is discussed that listening to music while studying also aids in stress levels of students. Keeping their stress down while loading their brain with information is a great way to succeed. “In some cases, students have found that music helps them with memorization, likely by creating a positive mood, which indirectly boosts memory formation.” ( Davis 2023). In conclusion, music can help with so many things and one of those things is studying, now there is specific music that you have to use so be mindful when doing so. Music is able to boost your mood, memory, as well as motivation when doing work, so go play your favorite calm instrumental when taking notes. 

Woke Cited 

Does music really help you concentrate? | Education | The Guardian

Can Music Help You Study and Focus? | National University (ncu.edu)

Why is study focus music so effective for concentration? (studyinternational.com)

Listening To Music While Studying | Music While Studying | Мusic Gateway (musicgateway.com)

Is it Good to Listen to Music While Studying? | Study.com