Can Music Improve Your Productivity?

We’ve all experienced hearing a song that immediately transports us back in time to a past memory. And it’s safe to say that most of us agree that music can change our mood to some degree in record time. It’s been long since proven that music can be useful in lowering depression, halting anxiety and increasing mood…but what about music’s ability to affect our productivity?

The idea that comes to mind about music and productivity, is that given a quick tempo, one might find themselves energized, thereby speeding up their entire work process. Ergo, more productive. However when studied in depth, it appears that there’s more to it;

• Music pumped through a factory made work less boring to the workers, which in turn kept workers on the line more alert, and therefore more precise in their labor, allowing for fewer errors.

• Music used in operating rooms helped surgeons to perform better, keeping them engaged specifically for monotonous tasks.

• In noisy work places, headphones with music increased productivity as it was less distracting than the background noise.

Things to note:

• It appears that music with lyrics have the opposite effect, functioning as a distraction and can hinder concentration as it pulls thoughts away from the task at hand.

• Familiar music is the best choice to not distract thoughts, as there is no need to wonder what is coming next.

• When productivity is needed with simple and repetitive tasks, music yields the best results.

• Music, as long as it is enjoyed, increases good mood, regardless of whether the song is fast or slow paced. However less intense music was beneficial for longer periods.

• Ambient music was found to increase creativity, and natural sounds (like water and birds) were found to increase concentration.

Thorough studies with adequate controls groups are inconclusive to prove that music can improve productivity. However, if you think that you personally may benefit from music in your world in any way, isn’t it worth finding out?

Hmm. Food for thought!

…Stay Healthy Friends! :0)

T xo

Tricia Nickl Holistic Nutrition & Iridology