By Nicholas Biria and Sabrina Solorzano
The 17th century playwright William Congreve once made the claim that “music hath charms that soothe a savage breast.”
But can it help you with statistics, though?
If you believe experts, the answer is yes. Several of the elements needed for productive studying are helped by music. Listening to music can improve attention and memory, as well as lessen stress and anxiety.
The Duke Cancer Institute concluded in 2012 that noise-cancelling headphones were helpful for men undergo a prostate biopsy. So your Beats by Dre should be of benefit when tackling chemistry.
When studying, it is best to be me at medium, not too agitated and not too relaxed. Music can help get you to the appropriate levels of arousal.
“Music helps me stay focused and concentrate on my work,” communications student Shaylen Garay said.
Music can be used to help us remember learning experiences and information, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University. And some students can use music for positive reinforcement when completing a task by using the reward sys- tem. One way to alleviate the emotional weight of complex tasks is music, accord- ing to Students Pulse article on how music affects cognitive performance.
But other studies suggest silence is best. Hyper beats and songs with lyrics can be a distraction, especially when reading or writing. Other studies conclude clas- sical music is really the only music that helps. The thinking is that the relaxing harmony of Mozart and the like reduces heart rate and sharpens focus.
Surely, that’s what Congreve was referring to, unless somehow he got a really early release of Drake’s album.
But a study by Scientific Reports, published on Nature.com in 2014, said that any preferred music is a benefit. Listening to music that is liked, the research concluded, affects functional connectivity that improves memory and personal thought.
So that suggests not only will Beethoven’s 9th Symphony help you study. But so might the Marshall Mathers LP.
If music helps students study and complete scholastic tasks, and a recent USA Today report said college students listen to 17 hours of music per week, then it stands to reason that all college students should have great grades. Right?