Listening to music while studying is useful for maintaining focus and boosting your productivity. It helps to finish homework, stimulates your brain while cramming for exams, and makes reading more enjoyable. When students’ stress runs high, music allows them to keep it at bay and stay engaged.
Sometimes we might find ourselves in a situation when we feel too distracted or stressed out to write another paper. It makes us think: who can help me with my essay? Luckily, there are plenty of solutions. Some students delegate their tasks to get the work done without stress, while others look for ways to put themselves into study mode. One of such ways is listening to music. Take a look at the following music genres to find your perfect study playlist.
Classical Music
Classical music is the best study aid you can find. It benefits your brain in many different ways and reduces stress, which is extremely beneficial when finals approach. The study found that students who listened to classical music during the lecture had significantly higher scores than those who didn’t. Thus, listening to Bach, Mozart, or Brahms can change your perception of the learning environment and lead to better academic outcomes.
Classical music puts you in an elevated emotional state. This results in you being more focused and receptive to learning material. Music also helps to deal with stress and anxiety that often accompany students before important exams.
Looking for good classical music playlists?
- Best Classical Music by Peaceful Classics (Spotify) 7 hours
- Classical Music for Studying by Various Artists (Spotify) 4 hours
- 4 Hours Classical Music for Studying, Relaxation & Concentration by HALIDONMUSIC (YouTube) 4 hours
Jazz
When you feel out of energy, turn on jazz music. It is the most stimulating genre that comes with a range of cognitive benefits. It is attributed to its rhythmic patterns that increase neural stimulation. It almost works as an exercise for cognition.
Listening to upbeat jazz music will raise your heart rate and reduce fatigue. It can also help you to deal with wandering thoughts that don’t allow you to focus on your paper or readings. This makes it easier for you to study without stress and actually remember what you’ve been trying to learn.
Here are some playlists you might enjoy:
- Jazz for Study by Filtr Canada (Spotify) 8 hours
- Jazz for Study by Spotify (Spotify) 7 hours
- Work & Study Lofi Jazz by Musictag (YouTube) 3 hours
Sounds of Nature
If you often have to study in noisy places, use playlists with sounds of nature to block out intrusive sounds. Calming sounds of rain, seashore, forest, or river will improve your concentration and enhance cognitive function. They often have a soothing effect on our mind and body.
Nature-made noise was found to improve mood and cognition. The recent study in Scientific Reports also concluded that, unlike artificial sounds, sounds of nature stimulate an outward-directed focus of attention. You can use this effect to gain better outcomes when studying. Sounds of nature are also the best background for relaxation and meditation after doing homework.
Find calming playlists here:
- Rain On Window with Thunder Sounds by Relaxing Ambience ASMR (YouTube) 8 hours
- Forest Sounds by The Guild of Ambience (YouTube) 3 hours
- Nature Sounds by Spotify (Spotify) 5 hours
Instrumental Music
Students who don’t enjoy listening to classical music can try songs without lyrics. Instrumental music is universal. You can use it before your study session to set the mood and concentrate mental energy. It helps to invoke serenity for better focus and reflection. Thus, instrumental music puts you in the right emotional state to help you study.
It also boosts productivity by helping you to focus attention while you think. In a noisy classroom or cafe, instrumental music in headphones will protect you from distractions and frustrating noise. It also allows reliving negative feelings accumulated throughout the day.
Tune out distractions with these playlists:
- Instrumental Music for Reading & Writing by Tom Merrall (Spotify) 8 hours
- Instrumental Study by Spotify (Spotify) 14 hours
- Music for Reading by Halidon Music (Spotify) 5 hours
Cinematic Music
Listening to cinematic music feels almost like giving your life a soundtrack. It will prevent you from getting bored while reading or writing a paper. Listening to cinematic music might also enhance your reading experience. It will sync with the events from novels, making them more vivid and memorable.
Cinematic music is also helpful when you’re looking for creative inspiration and new ideas. It can be motivating. If you listen to a soundtrack from your favorite movie, you won’t get bored or distracted by outside noise.
The choice of music depends on your movie preferences, but you can also check out these playlists with some of the best soundtracks:
- Cinematic Music for Studying and Motivation by Leandros Papakarmezis (Spotify) 17 hours
- Complete Marvel Cinematic Universe (Apple Music)
- 2 Hours of Cinematic Ambient Music by Mortifer V. (YouTube) 2 hours
Wrapping Up
Listening to music while studying can make a world of difference. Use one of the ready-made playlists or create your own, including the music genres you like most. Of course, not everyone has the same learning style. Yet, if you give it a try, studying with music might become your new favorite study habit.
