In multiple recent academic studies on classical music, researchers have concluded that listening to classical music benefits the brain, sleep patterns, the immune system, and stress levels. All of these benefits are in areas where many college students are lacking.
There have been several studies by French Universities and they have found evidence that students who listened to a one-hour lecture where classical music was played in the background scored significantly higher in a quiz on the lecture compared to students who did not have music played in the background during their lecture. The researchers believe that, the music put students in a heightened emotional state, therefore making them more receptive to information being taught in the lecture.
For many college students “Test Anxiety” is a reoccurring problem, and to some students it can even cause sleepless nights which could result in a poor grade on the assessment. In a study by a team of researchers at the University of Toronto, they’ve concluded that classical music can have profound effects on Insomnia. This team found that turning on your iPod, Pandora, Spotify, or any other music player/website, and tuning into classical music before bedtime helped people fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer periods of time. The researchers stated that works by classical composers, Brahms, Handel, Mozart, Strauss, and Bach were highly effective sleep aids because of the rhythms and tonal patterns that create a meditative, or calm mood, which in turn slow brainwaves and make it easier for one to fall asleep.
In 2005 there was a study published in “Psychology of Music” that uncovered that workers who listened to music while working had a higher productivity rate than those who did not listen to music. The study’s authors speculate that music boosts mood and improves motivation. The authors say that listening to music while working is most effective among students. They speculate such because often times students struggle to remain motivated to complete their assignments. Thus, music might provide an escape from the stress and exhaustion of studying and motivate them to work harder.
I know that when I sit down at my desk and do my homework, I always have my headphones in listening to some music, usually one of my favorite artists, Vance Joy. Listening to soothing or “chill” music has always been a good way to relax. I have never tried listening to classical music while studying, or before falling asleep, so I will have to try this out. If anyone has tested this theory, or has opinions on it, comment below!
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1002/hbm.20337/asset/20337_ftp.pdf?v=1&t=iepswlhm&s=e8e513af7492ff56fcd61d7f8571a8de22b3c67e
This was a very interesting post because you focused specifically on the effects of classical music specifically. You did an excellent job of exploring classical music’s positive effects on people. However, exploring this even further, I found that classical music can actually induce several different types of moods in people! In this study, in which 53 volunteers listened to several classical music pieces and reported their emotional responses to each one, it was found that, as intended, some classical music pieces induced happy, sad, and emotionally neutral responses from the participants. In addition, researchers also performed fMRIs on the participants to see which areas of the brain responded to the music. Overall, it was found that response to the classical music takes place in the areas of the brain which are involved in reward experience and movement, targeting attention, and the processing of emotions. Thus, this study supports the conclusions made in your blog because the results show that it is plausible that classical music could affect one’s emotions and motivation!
This post was very interesting to me! I think acoustic music is great for studying or doing work because it is not too distracting and mellow enough to focus. I think it depends on the person but for the most part, music is the a great way to keep working hard. Here is a very interesting Stanford study about music and doing work: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2007/07/music-moves-brain-to-pay-attention-stanford-study-finds.html
I’ve heard this before! The Mozart Effect is the theory that playing classical music to your baby makes them smarter, which coincides with your theory that classical theory helps to concentrate and study. I’ve done it before in the past and I honestly think it helps a lot, it makes you be more focused and concentrate on what you’re doing.
I also posted a blog that was very similar to this. My post was on how different genres affect intelligence. It turns out that people who frequently listen to lil wayne struggle, while people who listen to Beethoven perform above others. Classical music does not affect the student because there is no lyrics, while rap or basically any other genre can be distracting and not relaxing. Your post goes in great detail and helped me understand the affect of classical music.
I also posted a blog that was very similar to this. My post was on how different genres affect intelligence. It turns out that people who frequently listen to lil wayne struggle, while people who listen to Beethoven perform above others. Classical music does not affect the student because there is no lyrics, while rap or basically any other genre can be distracting and not relaxing. Your post goes in great detail and helped me understand the affect of classical music.