Studying to music is sometimes the only way to make it tolerable. Whether it’s calculating useful work in thermodynamics, comparing Thomas Hobbes to Jean Jacques Rousseau, or integrating a calculus function, music is often in the background to these tasks a little more pleasant.
Now scientists are discovering that music doesn’t just make studying more tolerable—it could be making it more effective. And we’re not just talking about Beethoven or Bach. We’re talking about studying to music from contemporary phenoms like Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, and Justin Timberlake.
A Study in Music
Dr. Emma Gray, a clinical psychologist who specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapy, has found that pop songs with 50 to 80 beats per minute actually enable the brain to learn and remember new things more easily. And you thought today’s music was mind numbing. In fact it’s the exact opposite. What’s most interesting about this study is which music affects which subjects. One type of music doesn’t improve your learning abilities across disciplines. The right music needs to be matched with the right subject.
When Classical Music is Good
For instance, when it comes to math and math related fields, you’re not going to want Katy Perry’s “Firework” blasting in your ears. You want music that calms the mind so it can concentrate on complex problem solving. This usually calls for classical music. Dr. Gray found that math students who listened to 60-70 beats per minute classical music improved their exam scores by 12%.
When Pop Music is Good
When it comes to humanities—history, languages, literature, drama, and art—the musical choice to go with is pop songs. Emotive and high energy pop songs tend to create a heightened mental state, one of excitement and creativity. This state of mind is great for learning and recalling new facts as well as thinking outside the box.
It’s an interesting study and fascinating field of research. It definitely requires a lot more investigation from all sorts of scientists, not just psychologists. Also, this particular study was funded by Spotify—the streaming music service that has exploded in recent years. There should be more research into this subject coming from more objective parties.
So what’s the next logical step then in learning? Clearly during exams every student should receive headphones and a choice of Miley Cyrus songs to play. Anything to improve kids’ grades these days right?
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