How Music Shapes Your Brain and Boosts Focus

Music helps us focus, and works as a way to make boring and time consuming tasks feel less tedious, but there are some things you have to take into account when trying to use music for studying or working.

1. Avoid loud music and high volumes:

   This is because while we try to focus on studying, our brain ends up focusing more on the music, which may end up deteriorating our concentration and in the worst cases, start making you procrastinate.

2. Listen to songs without lyrics:

   Especially songs with loud, interrupting lyrics, because it may make you sing along and stop being a benefit for your concentration, instead being a reason for why you stop concentrating.

3. Try to avoid songs you love:

   I don't mean that you should hears songs you don't like, instead you should hear songs that you like but not love, something middle ground. This is because if you like a song too much, then you end up focusing more on the song rather on what you should be focusing.

4. Try to avoid songs that have an emotion attached to them:

   What I mean by this, is that you should avoid songs that once you hear them, a strong emotion or memory comes up and ruins your concentration. In conclusion, avoid sad songs.

I told you what you should avoid, but what should you seek when trying to hear music while studying?

1. Instrumentals and songs with minimal vocals:

   This is because our brain tries to hear the song, activating the part of our brain that controls language, which may end up changing your focus from work to the song.

2. Songs with a steady rhythm:

   If you hear songs with this, your brain stops focusing on trying to decipher what comes next, and instead helps you focus less on the song and more on what you are studying or working on.

3. Use playlists:

   Every time you start changing songs, you lose concentration. Therefore, using playlists and choosing your songs beforehand is better for concentration.