Assessment
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Quick Win
Carefully chosen music may help you perform better on a task. Finding the right tunes for the job is key.
Try This Today
- Consider your task. If you’re cleaning the garage or weeding the garden, lively music may pep you up. Calmer melodies may be better for reading or reviewing bills. For tasks that need deeper focus, instrumental pieces may be less distracting than music with lyrics.
- Choose songs you know and like. It makes sense that unfamiliar music would be distracting — your brain is working to listen and process. Familiar tunes can more easily play a supporting role to the task at hand.
- Use music as a break. If you prefer to work in silence, consider adding music to your breaks. Just a brief music break may help with alertness and focus when you get back to work.
Why
In a study of 57 adults between the ages of 50 and 84 published in Frontiers in Psychology in 2023, people were more alert during cognitive tests after listening to fast tempo music in a major key (“happy” music). They were better able to focus and ignore distractions after listening to slow tempo music in a minor key (“sad” music).
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