Lindsay Guion Explains How Different Types of Music Can Either Distract You or Boost Your Productivity

Many people turn to background music as a way to keep themselves focused on the task at hand. Students and office workers have particular concerns about which types of music will help them focus versus distracting them from their work. Lindsay Guion, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of GUION PARTNERS and Executive Publisher of Music Industry Quarterly (“MIQ”), examines the question of which types of music help with concentration and which are more likely to be distracting so you can create your playlists with productivity in mind. Scientific Background Scientists from the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends that students listen to music while they are working. They cite the beneficial effects of music on stress levels, decreasing anxiety levels, blood pressure, and heart rate. Music was also found helpful for students who are taking tests, reducing their anxiety. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine studied the effect of classical music on concentration. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI, they were able to see how music affects different parts of the brain. They found that music activates the parts of the brain that are involved with memory, attention, and making predictions of what will happen next. They discovered that activity in the right side of the brain was much stronger than on the left side of the brain while study participants were listening to music. Classical music, such as that used in the study stimulated these areas for a positive effect. The effect of popular music on concentration is less promising. In a scientific study, Mack T. Henderson found that popular music and classical music have opposite effects on concentration. Music with lyrics was associated with lower concentration because the brain tries to process the lyrics at the same time as the content of what is being […]

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