Does Music Help on Study?

Imagine 2pm on Saturday, you are in a bracing leisure café with fresh coffee scent and chillaxing music, soft sunlight gleaming on your table while you are studying your favorite subject. Did this imagination make you wonder the importance of study environment? In this article, we will discuss with you one of the environmental factors, music, on whether it is helpful to the study or not.

The debate on “music helps on study” is endless. There are so many studies and observations conducted that are supporting either of the sides.

To talk about the benefits of listening to music while studying, the most famous supporting study is the “Mozart Effect (Rauscher et al., 1993)” claiming that listening to Mozart’s sonata for 10 minutes before preforming a task showed better spatial reasoning skills than performing a task after listening to relaxation instruction designed to lower the blood pressure or silence. Moreover, a research conducted by Hallam, S. Price, J., & Katsarou, G. (2002) stated that tasks requiring memory and concentration are performed better without music, or silent environment, but when music is used as “sound-wall” against ambient noises such as talkers or traffic, it is going to enhance people’s concentration.

On the other hand, there are some studies suggesting how music distract us on study. According to Perham (2010) criticizing Hallam, S. Price, J., & Katsarou, G. (2002)’s

finding, claimed that the data and evidence for this finding is not sufficient, and that music will only interfere people’s short-term memory.

So what is the answer to the question Does music help on study? Well, like all other articles, there is no right answer (sly). But if we must to choose a side, I will personally choose “music help on study” statement because it is supported by more studies and it is further explored with ‘what kinds of music can be beneficial’.