Which Music Genre Stimulates Productivity?
New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Neuroradiologist Jonathan Burdette and his colleagues conducted an experiment using an MRI scanner: 21 people listened to music from five genres  classical, rap, country, rock, and Chinese opera. The results showed that it was not the type of music, but the preferences of listeners that influenced the efficiency of the brain. "It doesn't matter if you listen to Bach, the Beatles, Brad Paisley, or else. Different favorite music causes the same type of activity in people's brains." Scientists have concluded that the genre is not important, the main thing is that you like the music. Students also can benefit from listening to music they like while studying. Listening to pleasant music, as well as essay writing service helps with creativity in writing assignments. Preferences are personal and may vary depending on the complexity of the sound, the presence or absence of text. Certain music genres are popular among developers. Among them, ambient music stands out. Neuroscientist Julia Mossbridge notes that this style helps to focus on the task, stimulates creative thinking, and improves mood. Ambient allows you to experiment, at the same time with the music, you can turn on the noise of waves or other sounds. Example: a project of Norwegian developers listen to the sound of air traffic controllers from around the world to the accompaniment of ambient music. Twitter users note that the sounds not only helps to relax and relieve stress but also to focus. "Great music for work  ambient, on top of which there are real negotiations between pilots and the airport in real-time," writes frontend developer Andrey Sitnik on Twitter. Another user of the network, grocery designer David Shearing, often listens to air traffic controllers ' conversations when he works alone in the office. "It reminds me that there is a planet around." The repeated voices of dispatchers against the ambient background are like meditative music, relaxing and reducing tension. Properly selected music helps not only to focus on the task but also motivates. This conclusion was reached by Canadian scientists after a cross-cultural experiment: students coped better with IQ testing for major excerpts from Mozart than for slow works by Albinoni written in a minor. Choose the music for the mood that you want to keep while working. If you prefer silence and do not sit in an open space where there is no escape from the noise, you do not need to change your habits  you can listen to music outside the office. If you are just starting to experiment with musical accompaniment for a more pleasant and productive work, we offer five main factors, which you can rely on when choosing:  Musical structure. It will be more difficult to focus on Schnittke's concerts than on songs with relatively simple melodic constructions, such as Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man". The lyrics of the song. Do not listen to songs that evoke memories or specific associations while working. The complexity of the task. If you need to work on a new difficult task, music will most likely distract you. Musical education. If you have finished musical school, then you are more likely to be distracted by the rhythm, timbre, and musical structure, analyze the work. A sense of control. If a person is forced to listen to music and has no choice, it will interfere with work. The effectiveness is influenced not only by the musical style and our environment but also by how much the type of work corresponds to the background music. Music without words increases productivity when performing monotonous repetitive tasks. This works best if the melody does not sound constantly, but is played at intervals when the attention weakens. In this case, music will make the task less boring and cheer you up. When performing complex mental work, for example, software development, repetitive and relaxing background music increases productivity. When the brain is fully focused on the task, meditative music will help to reduce the tension a little. Popular music usually does not contribute to the performance of cognitive tasks and reading comprehension. The text of a well-known song (against the background of a workflow) represents a multitasking situation for the brain, which interferes with the processing of really important information. If your work concerns complex planning and problem-solving, scientists do not recommend listening to musical hits in the background. The impact of music on productivity also depends on your professional level. Researcher Teresa Lesyuk analyzed the impact of listening to music on the quality of work among software developers of four Canadian companies and came to interesting conclusions. Music improves efficiency depending on how well you know and know how to do a particular job. "If a person already had the knowledge and skills of an expert in his field, then listening to music did not affect his performance, but improved his mood. However, if a person was an average specialist, his productivity increased." Music motivates beginners in their field, but according to the study, it does not affect the results of their work in any way due to their lack of skills. Resume  Scientists have been studying the influence of music on human thinking since the 70s of the last century, but before there is still no consensus on this issue. There are three key points:  "Listen to what you like!". The main thing when choosing background music for work is to be guided by your preferences. This is the only way to explain "why people can experience comparable emotional and mental states when listening to different music" American scientists believe. The music should correspond to the type of work. Relaxing, for example, "background" electronic music or pleasant sounds of the surrounding world will help to increase efficiency when performing complex cognitive tasks. Typical popular music will only distract, so it should be avoided. The impact of music on productivity depends on the level of your knowledge and skills. Your favorite tunes will not affect the quality of work in any way if you do not have serious experience and knowledge, but they will help motivate you. For experts in their field, music will improve the overall working mood, and for "average people", among other things, it will increase productivity. If you like silence  do not change your habits, you can listen to music to lift your mood during  breaks.