By Elaine Chan, Staff Writer
For many students, cracking open the books to kick off a lengthy study session in turn comes with pressing play to your favorite playlist. But the question arises: does listening to music assist or distract? While many swear by the smooth jazz or uplifting pop that pours in through their headphones, opposing beliefs argue that the rhythm and rhyme lingers more than the words crafted on the pages before you.
A study conducted by the University of Maryland Medical Center, unveiled that music helps to stimulate both the left and right sides of the brain. With an activated brain, you can expect higher levels of productivity. Furthermore, with producing better cognitive performance, music also has tremendous effects on one’s emotional state; a decrease in blood pressure and slower heart rate contribute to a tension-free study session. Whether it be a silky melody, or a cheerful beat pulsing through your veins, slipping on a pair of headphones can greatly affect your overall mood. A happy mind equals a happy student.
Endless hours spent poring over textbooks and handwritten notes can grow to be quite monotonous, so an obvious choice of relief from the growing pain in your neck would be turning the volume up to your favorite songs. Supporting the emotional benefits of music, it assists your brain to categorize and process information as well. When using an MRI machine, a study led by Stanford displayed how the brain recognizes and retains information, whilst playing music, with ease. Digesting the material shortly after reading it is a beneficial asset for studying, and it is proven that music can truly be of aid. While observing our complex minds, the parts responsible for attention span and memory appear to be highly engaged whenever we hit play.
Despite the sizable list of benefits, the topic of studying with music has its fair share of drawbacks. Exercising the short term memory, music may hinder your ability to retain material for longer periods of time. This could ultimately reveal itself in poorly-timed forgetfulness, especially during an exam. While many have attested that music genuinely improves their performance, in some cases it can actually have adverse effects. Overstimulation of the brain can bring about the inability to organize information. Since memorization is linked to familiarizing yourself with patterns and rhythms, some students can even form a codependency with music. While this may not seem particularly negative, when taking a test in a silent environment, these students may find it impossible to focus; they have become reliant on their music.
After asking multiple other students, many have reached a similar verdict: it all depends on the type of music they select. The great mass of the student population agree that calmer music paired with little to no lyrics benefit their study hall the most. Aligning with that statement, music that is lyric-heavy or borderline noisy can be of disturbance. From personal experience, music is my backboard whenever I feel my concentration slipping; keeping me awake and attentive.
“I end up writing the lyrics down instead of my thoughts sometimes, but I’m almost always listening to lofi while I work,” confesses a Mills student.
Music can be a stress-relieving and effective tool while hunkering down over your History notes. Yet, some believe silence is their best companion when it comes to studying. A place of common ground however, is that there is no better way to end a rather taxing day than plugging in your headphones and escaping behind an enchanting melody, perfectly lost in the music.
