CASADO LLERENA: Non-lyrical music is ideal for maximizing studying focus
Column: Just Wondering
Studying or working on classwork are integral parts of a college student’s daily life. Deadlines are always on the horizon, and Canvas will always make its presence known.
As such, college students often listen to music while working on assignments. This helps ease the tedious process of completing assignments and helps students take a break by singing along.
A recent survey by OnePoll found that approximately 49 percent of students regularly listen to music while studying. But while listening to music increases productivity, it is also distracting and makes students lose their concentration. This effect depends on the type of music students decide to add to their playlists.
Listening to lyrical music makes it difficult to retain any information, especially because, in most cases, lyrics from a song will linger in the mind. Lyrics will interfere with any information that is being processed from studying. Overall, lyrical music will keep students energized and engaged with their work but will cut into their results.
Specifically, listening to lyrical music will interfere with memory retention and can cause the information to mix with specific lyrics. No one wants to be taking a test and having Bad Bunny replaying the same lyrics repeatedly in their head.
Listening to the latest hits will not help anyone comprehend what they are trying to read. Comprehending the information will clash with the song playing and can make the mind juggle too many things, ultimately sabotaging any sort of productive retention.
Knowing what kind of music is ideal for studying is time-consuming to figure out. Trying to find the correct song or create the perfect playlist wastes time and cuts into valuable studying time. This is why non-lyrical music or instrumental overall is the best type of music to listen to while working and studying.
Removing the lyrics from music helps students concentrate, and research finds that background music can help improve cognitive performance. Background music can foster a space in which the student’s thoughts can run free, helping them better express themselves.
Writing papers is always a hassle, and it stresses out many students, as they may feel like an eternity is passing and the assignment will take hours to complete. But listening to instrumental music can help thoughts flow and ease stress.
It keeps students engaged, allowing them to work for longer periods of time. Playing music can help make dull subjects or tedious assignments easier to endure, overall improving focus stamina.
Listening to instrumental or non-lyrical music helps students get into the zone and blocks out any background distractions. Students will find that they are more focused on tasks, perform better on assignments and are more motivated to keep grinding.
Simply listening to each component of the song stimulates creativity in the brain — like creating a musical composition with thoughts and memories.
Brainstorming becomes easier because people's flurry of thoughts and ideas can be organized in tune with the music. Students may even find themselves waving their hands up and down as if they are the composer of an orchestral band.
There are so many different instrumental genres to choose from, including jazz, rock, hip-hop, classical music, symphony bands, orchestras, electronic dance and ambient music. You can even listen to the ocean, forest and waterfall sounds to stay engaged while studying.
Everyone has heard about the Mozart Effect, the experiment that tested whether listening to Mozart would improve test scores. While there are many discussions about whether the Mozart Effect is actually valid, one thing is certain: Listening to the right kind of instrumental music for you helps time pass and keeps students calm.
Studying and schoolwork are two major factors that contribute to increased stress, anxiety, insomnia and can even lead to depression.
Listening to instrumental music helps reduce the amount of pressure from completing assignments. A six-week study found that listening to music reduces burnout by having employees participate in a 30-minute listening session, reducing overall stress levels in the office.
Non-lyrical or instrumental music makes working peaceful and productive. On the other hand, though lyrical music can give students bursts of energy, it can be too distracting. But, at the end of the day, all students are different and should experiment with all types of music to find the best fit for them.
Sebastian Casado Llerena is a senior in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in journalism and media studies with a global news specialization and minoring in english. His column, "Just Wondering," runs on alternate Thursdays.
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