If you are in high school, college or if you are just preparing yourself for an exam, you know how difficult it can be to sit down and focus when studying.
Most times we have to spend hours and hours sitting over a book, trying to remember all the things that we are going to need. And it seems like some people are better at studying than others.
Have you ever wondered what is their secret? Let us help you with that, it’s music! Yes, you read that right, music can help you remember things faster and focus on the notes that are in front of you.
These are the benefits of listening to music while studying!
1. It makes live more fun
We are all aware the university life would be really dull if there was no music in it. You know that by listening to your favorite music, you instantly feel good, right?
That is happening because the music is scientifically proven to cause the release of dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that makes the person feel more motivated, relaxed and feel overall happier. You definitely cannot an exam if you are feeling the opposite of all these things.
So, by listening to your favorite beat before you start studying, you will give you that extra boost of confidence to get your head down and start reading that material for the exam.
2. It Helps You Visualize Better
There was a popular theory in the nineties that claimed that by listening to Mozart you will become smarter. There is still a lot of debate on the accuracy of the Mozart Effect.
Even though some researches tend to dispute this claim, there are still a lot of teachers and parents who play this kind of music during the study period of their pupils or children.
The reason for this is that there is so much data that suggests that classical music can really improve the spatial-temporal reasoning, or the ability to manipulate shapes mentally, at least for some limited period of time.
This means that when you are studying for a difficult exam, you will be able to visualize the theory better and with that, understand it better.
You should know that the Mozart Effect is not limited to this compositor only, you can listen to any of the other classical masters as well.
3. It Makes You Feel Less Anxious
There was a recent survey that showed that one in every four students suffers from mental health problems. Most of the participants said that anxiety and stress are their biggest mental health issues. More than 70% of them cited studying as the main source of stress.
Given the amount of pressure, students are constantly under, these numbers are not really surprising, however, they are still quite alarming.
If you are one of the people who are suffering from stress and anxiety, then you might want to start listening to rap music while studying.
According to research done by Cambridge University Professors Akeem Sule and Becky Inkster, the hip-hop and rap music provide an uplifting effect. It also helps listeners accept, deal with, and manage mental health issues better.
Rap music is not something that everyone loves and listens to, but it won’t hurt you if you tried new things, especially if that means giving your brain that extra bit of support it needs.
4. It’s Exercise for Your Brain
We are all hearing about the importance of working out, but no one actually talks about the importance of exercising the brain.
Just like any other organ, the brain gets older as well. If we don’t take proper care of it and if we don’t give it the proper maintenance it can age very badly.
There are a lot of things you can do to take care of your brain, like solving puzzles, reading, and writing. The easiest way to exercise your brain is to listen to music.
The professor Brenda Hanna-Pladdy stated in a paper that musical activity serves as a cognitive exercise for the brain, which trains it for more challenges in the future. People who start listening to music or have some kind of musical training early in their lives (before the age of 7), have healthier brains and are less likely to suffer from Dementia or Alzheimer’s.
You don’t have to wait to reach a certain age before you start benefiting from music. Chillout Radio suggests you should start exercising your brain now simply by listening to your favorite tunes.
5. It Helps Improve Your Memory
Have you ever wondered why it is so much easier to memorize the lyrics of your favorite song instead of the table of chemical elements? If we ask you to tell us the lyrics of Lose Yourself – Eminem you will start saying it right away, but if we ask you to name the elements in the first row of the table of chemical elements, you will definitely struggle with that.
What happens is because your brain is constantly looking for patterns to better understand, process and recall information. That is the same reason why music producers always try to find a way and put a hook in their songs. It is designed to do the exact same thing – hook a listener in.
Have you ever heard the term “earworm”? It happens when a part of a song gets stuck in your head for a long period of time (like weeks).
This is actually one of the ways to improve your brain’s memory and most language courses use music to help students remember information when it’s embedded within a pattern of ear-catching melodies.
There are studies that suggest that the benefits don’t really depend on the kind of music you are listening to, but how effectively your brain latches on the pattern of the song.
Other benefits of listening to music while studying include:
- It Helps You Manage Stress Better
- It Helps You Relax
- It Helps You Escape from All Distractions
When you use it properly, music can help you improve a lot of your study habits in many ways. Just remember not to get too distracted by the lyrics or the melody and you will reap the benefits in no time.
Is there a song that helps you focus and study better? Which one is it?
