MUSIC AND PRODUCTIVITY

Music, for the longest time, has provided entertainment for the masses, being an outlet of emotions and a source of solace to many, a creative initiator for more and a general time killing distraction for an even greater number. For the longest time, music had purely been seen as an art meant to please one’s soul with each note. But in recent time, bars of choruses seem to do so much more than give you that warm feeling in your heart, for now science has shown that it can make one a lot more productive while working, and make all your work in general less of a chore. Music seems to be the motivating cause, and sometimes even the driving source of determination behind why we do what we do a lot better, quicker, and more efficiently.

Of course, not one specific genre does one specific thing to the masses. There is no set list for a song that will make you a set percentage more efficient for certain periods of time, it isn’t a super pill. The tastes of everyone varies vastly, and this has a major keynote in how one can be made more productive, depending on the situational context, experiences and ability to relate with a song, and the musical tastes of the listener themselves. For an example of situational context, everyone along with a sports psychologist has observed that when exercising, be in cardio or hitting the gym, based on their tastes in music, people can go for miles longer when the listener puts his playlist on than having no music at all. This is simply because when one listens to music during exercise, the music simply distracts the person from all the pain and fatigue they actually feel, and giving them the determination to push themselves simply because they won’t stop till the song does. Thus the fatigue hits in with a heavy delay but always before you can overexert yourself, and most people feel so much more content and satisfied with the pain that has passed in a condition of mental peace.

More researchers have worked on why music makes us more productive. It turns out that in our body, the brain’s reward chemical dopamine- the same chemical that’s released when you win your third grade science fair, or when your crush says yes to a prom date, or when you finish a marathon you worked really hard for, is the same chemical released when you listen to music and feel your emotions surge with the high notes of your tones and scales.

Thus, since music makes us feel better, it’s natural for one to become a lot more productive when their mood is better with music, making them so much more efficient and willing to work for longer. And when the work is physically or mentally straining, it can also serve as a distraction, letting you keep working for longer without realising the toll it’s taking for an extended period of time. And besides, work is so much more fun now!

Further research has been done on how lyrics affect one’s effectiveness at the job, and in most cases, in assembly lines, when workers listen to songs that are popular and lyrically stimulating, they tend to be a lot more chipper about their work. This is because the human brain has a tendency to cling to and try and understand words and sentences from common tongues. Thus, when your work is repetitive, when your brain and body has memorised every little movement to be made in your work, the lyrics take you away from the monotony, letting the workers work for longer by swapping their attention back and forth between songs and work before boredom strikes again.

There have also been studies to specifically observe if and how tempos and rhythmic sections affect moods and productivity. Many noticed when subjects were subject to tempos of between 120-140, their creativity and mental capacity for concentration increased. In one study, people performed better listening to an upbeat Mozart rather than a slow, melodic Albinoni.

Now that you have a very useful tool to your arsenal, be warned. Music might not work all the time and as it has been mentioned before, situational context is a major point to boosting your productivity. Music with motivational lyrics shine for people with impending creative tasks as this gives the brain leeway into getting into the task in a good mood. Popular songs turn out to be a bad idea for these kinds of tasks as the brain tends to play these songs on loop, catching phrases and melodies, and causing a distraction from your actual task. But when you have a task that requires your undivided attention, it turns out that any kind of song you like will do just fine, when you play it on repeat so your brain can get used to it, allowing you to focus for as long as the song keeps playing.

A short playlist should do just fine, but if you ever do get bored, nature noises or video game’s soundtracks and background scores can go a long way in helping you extend your attention span for a long time. This is because video games are meant to be the background to a captivating story in a game and can hence be replaced, and nature is simply a relaxing and soothing experience, sure to get you in the mood for a good day’s work.

At the end of the day, while everyone’s taste in music is different, music bestows the same power on all of us. Be it epic pumped-up hip-hop to pick you up for your killer performance, or electronic music for a light creative endeavour, or simply an ambient instrumental to block out the noise, we’ve all been there. And now that you know how your music can make you feel, wield it as a weapon of your conscious to the end of the rainbow and past the turmoil, under a sheath of familiarity and harmony.