How Music Can Boost Productivity

By: Maureen Corbett

When I was younger, my mother always made me sit quietly at the kitchen table and work on my homework. Her justification for this was that I needed as little noise distractions as possible in order to properly focus on my work. While I had always assumed this to be true, the other day I read an interesting article in the New York Times that contradicted what she had taught me, especially in regards to music.

This article talked about the benefits of listening to music while one works, as well as several ways music can increase your productivity. Here are some interesting findings discussed in the article:

Music is Healthy for Your Brain 
Studies have proven that listening to music causes your brain to release more dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate your attention, cognition, and feelings of happiness. This will put you in an overall better mood and allows your brain to operate more efficiently. Music therapist Theresa Lesiuk also performed studies that found that listening to music keeps your mind from wandering, helps you complete tasks quicker, and stimulates more creative thought.

Genre of Music is Important
Pick music that you like! Studies suggest that as long as you are moderately skilled at your job and like what you are listening to, chances are you will become a more efficient worker. Lyric-less music may be slightly more effective, so perhaps you should try breaking away from your typical music preferences and listen to instrumental music, such as classical or jazz tunes.

Respect Workplace Etiquette 
The article touched on the fact that while music does bring many benefits to your work performance, in many cases there may be some negative consequences as well. Some co-workers find it distracting to have a loud radio playing while they are trying to focus and would prefer to work in a quiet environment. Others might perceive headphones as a rude way to block out the noises your coworkers make throughout the day. So before you start jamming out to your favorite songs at work, check to make sure you have to approval of everyone in the office.


Still interested and want to read the whole article? Follow the link below:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/jobs/how-music-can-improve-worker-productivity-workstation.html?_r=0