The benefits of listening to music for students while studying.
Musician Billy Joel once said, “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.”
Most people enjoy listening to music and teachers and parents are recognising the benefits of music for students while they are studying. Nothing makes mundane activities like tidying your room more tolerable than listening to music and studying is no different. Many parents still believe that listening to music is a distraction for their child but here at elearnus we understand that there are in fact a number of benefits, they are as follows:
It makes studying more fun!
As William James said, “I don’t sing because I’m happy; I’m happy because I sing.” Music can definitely give students the motivation to start studying because it’s fun, this is especially beneficial for students who have a tendency to procrastinate. Students must not, however, become too distracted by the melody of the song.
It improves students’ memories.
Contrary to popular belief, listening to music while studying is not a distraction, it is actually a great strategy to study more effectively for a student’s next exam. Jodi Picoult agrees with us; “Music is the language of memory.” Music can have the ability to allow us to reminisce about certain times or events in our lives. After considering this, here at elearnus we have been exploring the research which is demonstrating that music can improve our memory, meaning it can be a powerful tool for young people while studying. Researchers found that listening to music helps students remember topics more easily.
Reduces stress.
A 2011 study by researchers from McGill University in Canada found that listening to music causes the release of the chemical dopamine which makes us feel happier, more relaxed and more motivated. Research by the UMD Medical Centre also found music decreases blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety levels. While students are studying for their exams, they can feel very stressed, and having some music on in the background can be an effective stress reliever.
It helps students focus.
Contrary to popular belief, listening to music actually helps students focus while studying. A Stanford University study found that “music moves [the] brain to pay attention.” Baker found that “music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory”. The most effective artists to listen to help students focus are Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven
It benefits student’s mental health.
According to Maya Angelou “Music was [her] refuge. [She] could crawl into the space between the notes and curl [her] back to loneliness.” This is a powerful message about the positive impact that music has had on the Author’s mental health. Depression does not discriminate based on age because more than 350 million people suffer from depression around the world which includes young people, but music has been proven to help with depression. Students can especially suffer from their mental health during exam season so listening to music while they study can certainly help them.
It is, however, important to note that some genres of music can actually have the opposite effect on mental health so students should choose what they listen to while studying carefully. A study by Hans Joachim Trappe in Germany demonstrates that listening to music could benefit patients with symptoms of depression, depending on the genre of music. Meditative music and classical music improved mental health the most, but techno and heavy metal actually made depressive symptoms worse.
Overall, as discussed in this blog, there are a plethora of benefits of listening to music while studying for students. It can improve our mental health and allow students to study more effectively. Students must not get distracted by the melody of a song to allow them to fully benefit from listening to music while they study.
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Works Cited:
Baker, M., 2007. Music moves the brain to pay attention, organize events. [online] Stanford University.
ScienceDaily. 2021. Musical chills: Why they give us thrills. [online]
Trappe, H., 2009. Music and health–what kind of music is helpful for whom? What music not?
Whiteman, H., 2021. The power of music: how it can benefit health. [online] Medicalnewstoday.com. Available at: <https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/302903>