Do you listen to music while working? Heres what it does to your brain

Music has enriched people's personal lives pretty much since the beginning of time, but scientists today have uncovered how best to make music enrich your professional life, too. By Tom Popomaronis Interim president, RateMyTeachers.com@tpopomaronis

http://www.inc.com/tom-popomaronis/do-you-listen-to-music-while-working-heres-what-it-does-to-your-brain-and-its-pr.html?cid=sf01002&sr_share=facebook
 

When the office is almost too much to stomach, music can deliver much-needed relief on the job. Before you press "play", however, have a handle on when your tunes will be most beneficial for you and your brain.  
Learning = Stop 
Learning requires your brain to analyze and remember instructions/facts. When music is on, however, your brain has to process auditory data on top of processing the instructions/facts. Because of this multitasking, the brain can interpret the instructions/facts improperly, either associating them in odd ways or making mistakes about what's important enough to store. Thus, if you have to learn something at work, it's best to turn off your music, especially if you're learning verbally or through reading and the music has lyrics. 
Noisy = Play 
If your workspace is noisy, the brain will try to handle all the individual pieces of data in the noise. All that data processing takes energy you otherwise could use to focus on your job. It also increases levels of the stress-hormone cortisol and decreases levels of dopamine. Those hormonal changes negatively affect the prefrontal cortex, hindering executive function. Thus, productivity can go down, even if doing your required task doesn't require you to learn. In this scenario, listening to music actually can help, because it blocks out the other excessive input that could overwhelm you and keeps you calm. 
When the office is almost too much to stomach, music can deliver much-needed relief on the job. Before you press "play", however, have a handle on when your tunes will be most beneficial for you and your brain.  
Learning = Stop 
Learning requires your brain to analyze and remember instructions/facts. When music is on, however, your brain has to process auditory data on top of processing the instructions/facts. Because of this multitasking, the brain can interpret the instructions/facts improperly, either associating them in odd ways or making mistakes about what's important enough to store. Thus, if you have to learn something at work, it's best to turn off your music, especially if you're learning verbally or through reading and the music has lyrics. 
Noisy = Play 
If your workspace is noisy, the brain will try to handle all the individual pieces of data in the noise. All that data processing takes energy you otherwise could use to focus on your job. It also increases levels of the stress-hormone cortisol and decreases levels of dopamine. Those hormonal changes negatively affect the prefrontal cortex, hindering executive function. Thus, productivity can go down, even if doing your required task doesn't require you to learn. In this scenario, listening to music actually can help, because it blocks out the other excessive input that could overwhelm you and keeps you calm. 
out of songs you already know, and if your tasks involve any sort of linguistic processing, focus on lyric-free options. Lastly, if you have something to learn, pump up your mood with music before you get started. 
 

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