A recent study has uncovered that certain types of music could help listeners focus and even improve their brain function, but do you agree with the choice? Will this music help everyone? There has been much study on the effect of music on human emotions, but not so much on cognition and focus, according to a report from The Independent. The recent study has found that instrumental background music could possibly work to improve focus and brain function. But how does it all work?
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The study featured affiliates from the Georgetown University Department of Neuroscience, the NYU Department of Psychology, the Wartburg Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, and the NYU Music and Audio Research Laboratory (MARL) among several others. The goal of the study was to prove if music advertised as focus and concentration aids on streaming platforms actually does aid in focus and concentration.
200 participants engaged in a “flanker task” for the study. This is a cognitively demanding activity measuring a person’s ability to focus on central stimuli while a “flanking” signal is relayed alongside the object of focus. The idea is for the person to focus only on the central stimuli while being distracted.
The 200 participants were split up into groups of around 50. They were tasked with completing the exercise while listening to certain music that has been advertised for “deep focus” or which allegedly supports “work flow.”
What Type of Music Was Chosen for the Focus Experiment?
According to the study, the researchers played music from playlists for “deep focus” and “work flow,” as previously mentioned. They also played samples of ambient office noise, as well as popular hits. The popular music samples represented “mainstream musical stimulation.” The ambient noise represented “typical background stimulation in a social working environment,” as the abstract states.
The study found that only music from the “work flow” playlists actually improved cognitive function while completing the flanker task. What’s interesting to note is that neither the “work flow” or “deep focus” songs included lyrics. Findings suggest that instrumental music can help improve focus.
Cognitive function was impacted by mood, stress, and anxiety during the test. According to researchers, participants reported that their mood significantly increased while listening to “work flow” music. “This suggests that work flow music may be effective for mood management even when people are suffering from emotional distress,” the study posited. Additionally, participants responded to the test quicker over time while listening to “work flow” music. Researchers concluded, “This suggests that work flow music may be useful for people losing focus due to high levels of anxiety.”
So What is “Work Flow” Music?
According to The Independent, “work flow” music is defined by “strong rhythm, simple tonality, moderate dynamism, and a distributed spectral energy below 6000 hertz.” Additionally, it’s instrumental, which means no distracting lyrics.
Looking on Spotify, there are many playlists titled “Work Flow,” “Focus Flow,” or “Energizing Focus Mix,” for example. These were allegedly made specifically for me, so they are possibly tailored to my interests based on my listening habits. In this way, they’re not exactly accurate for what “work flow” music really is.
However, for the sake of experimentation, lets take a look at the “Focus Flow” playlist. This one might actually be the most accurate to the study. First, it’s only instrumental hip-hop beats. Think “lo-fi beats to relax or study to.” I can see how this music would improve stress, anxiety, and mood, as it’s relaxing, steady, and predictable. I’m not sure if this is exactly the music the study used. However, lo-fi hip-hop beats have definitely been used for studying, working, and focus for a long time.
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