Music allows for so many positive effects such as an increase in mood, well-being, reduction of stress and more. It is good for so many different activities in one’s everyday life. Whether intently listening to music doing a task, or having music play as a comforting background noise. Background music specifically is very good for focusing on a task and having a very uplifting mood while concentrating. Listening to background music allows one to focus on their tasks.

Something as simple as background music, can really cause work productivity and more focused attention. The brain becoming more stimulated allows for better performance while focusing and completing tasks. Cognitive behavior is known as brain activity, as cognitive is another word for brain or mental put with the behavior that comes from it. Anything that engages the brain would be considered cognitive behavior. Although focused on the idea of background music and how that correlates with the focus that results from that of the music influencing the brain. 

In The Effect of Background Music on Cognitive Task Performance, written by Yalda Dabiran, the more cognitive function is discussed in comparison to background music specifically. One thing I wanted to point out that Dabiran said is, “According to the results of a study, background music showed its positive effect on the efficiency of the operator while performing a repetitive assembly job. Based on the results for fast repetitive industry tasks, there is a tendency for arousal level to drop off, and a stimulus such as background music can prevent this issue if used close to the end of the efficiency period (Fox and Embrey 1972).”  One thing that Dabiran tends to focus on throughout her essay is the arousal of background music on the brain. How this arousal can really cause the cognitive behavior to increase and especially the appeal, or arousal, of background music on the brain. Through that Yalda explained that there was a positive outcome which was a greater efficiency that resulted from music being played. Which concludes that music within the workplace allowed for an increase in overall performance while still getting their objective tasks completed.

There is something known as the “Mozart Effect.” As explained in Dabiran’s essay this effect is, “A study indicated that playing Mozart music when taking math tests lead to a significant improvement in students’ test scores.” Instead of focusing on the workplace, the school environment is another place that is very task focus driven. Although it was observed by Yalda that, “Another study investigated the effect of music on brain waves using EEG (Electroencephalogram).” Continuing on how effective music was on the cognitive aspect of the study. This shows the correlation between the two, but specifically how one triggers the other’s performance. Ultimately showing that music improves performance. 

Studying equals the retaining of information such as studying information to take a test.  As stated in Music in the Workplace Environment and Productivity by Kyle Schoenwald, “Most students listen to music while studying, but most often are not allowed to listen to music while taking a test. The results of this study by Lemaire argued that when listening to music, individuals have a more positive effect when it comes to memory of the information.” This overall states that music is proven very effective during studying due to how it helps with memorization. Although these students may not be able to listen to music during a test, the music helps during the studying process. Retaining the information is the most important part of an education so as one studies and listens to the background music, the better one might perform on a test or task that they practiced for. 

Within the same essay, Schoenwald also makes another great point about the following, “If the task requires people to be relaxed and focused, slow music might be more attractive as this slows the heart rate for focus. If the task requires some encouragement, for example a presentation was to be given; this may require more upbeat music.” This was also a very good point made because different genres of music, tempos, lyrics and such can trigger different emotions as well as different parts of the cognitive behavior. This includes as said, slower music might prove more useful with focus as it slows the heart rate. While more upbeat music music can create a more energetic wave probably more useful to completion in a creative project setting. This is a key aspect to the levels of background music, which shows that although these different key points to music can alternate different behaviors, the background music is still proven useful in these settings. Especially when the music is a preferred background music as stated by Kiss and Linell in The effect of preferred background music on task-focus in sustained attention, “preferred background music can enhance task-focused attentional states on a low-demanding sustained-attention task and are compatible with arousal mediating the relationship between background music and task-performance.”

Concluding this topic, background music is very influential to the performance of one task and work. This background music might only be something that is considered minor to just any normal person, but diving deeper into the bigger picture. Which is that  the music is proven to be effective in more than one way, when considering the tempo  of the music and preferred music can trigger this function. With these many different studies, as well, proving that background music causes focus and an increase in cognitive performance on given various tasks. As stated in Kiss and Linnells study, “Importantly, listening to preferred background music was found to increase task-focus and decrease mind-wandering states on a low-demanding sustained-attention task although it did not affect overall RT. The increase in task-focus states provides evidence for music’s ability to improve focused attention and performance—by increasing arousal to an intermediate level optimal for performance—and suggests that people can derive benefit from music listening while performing low-demanding tasks.” Proving once again that this music is beneficial to one’s mind. 

Citations;

Kiss, Luca, and Karina J. Linnell. “The Effect of Preferred Background Music on Task-Focus in Sustained Attention – Psychological Research.” SpringerLink, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 3 Aug. 2020, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00426-020-01400-6. 

Dabiran, Y. (2017). The effect of background music on cognitive task performance (Order No. 10622588). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1988352353). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fdissertations-theses%2Feffect-background-music-on-cognitive-task%2Fdocview%2F1988352353%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D13605   

Schoenwald, K. (2020). Music in the workplace environment and productivity (Order No. 27739886). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2384540781). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fdissertations-theses%2Fmusic-workplace-environment-productivity%2Fdocview%2F2384540781%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D13605