Thursday, September 24, 2009
Books? Check. Highlighter? Check. iPod? Check. You’re ready to study, right? Wrong.
You might want to ditch the iPod — that latest Beyoncé song pulsing in your ears may be doing more harm to your studying than you think.
Background distraction: You may think listening to music while studying helps you focus, but odds are it actually distracts.
Listening to music while studying can distract you, which will make it more difficult to remember the material you’re reading come exam time, says Paul Atchley, associate professor of psychology. If you turn on a little Dave Matthews Band to drown out other distractions, such as your roommates jabbering, listening to music might be beneficial. “But if you’re studying in a quiet place, listening to music probably can only hurt,” Atchley says.
The volume of the music also affects how well you input those Spanish verb tenses or names of U.S. presidents into your memory. If the volume’s so loud that a full-blown concert is going on in your ear drums, it’s going to be harder to concentrate than if it’s just background noise.
If you can’t study without the music, it’s best to just turn on what you usually listen to. “If you really enjoy country western, that would be less distracting than punk. Whatever music will capture your attention the most is the worst you can play,” Atchley says.
During your next study session try nixing the iPod. Don’t worry; it’ll be there when you get back.
VERDICT: BAD FOR YOU
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Comments
Hendrix321 (anonymous) says...
Being a teacher, if I have a huge stack of papers, I absolutely have to have something on to get myself through, or else it just seems too daunting to even start.
September 30, 2009 at 9:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
khudson (Kirsten Hudson) says...
Thanks for commenting Hendrix321. I completely agree that some tasks definitely require a little distraction. I've heard though (from a cognitive psychology class) that when studying it's best for memory to mimic the environment in which you will be taking the test. So if the test room is going to be quiet (which it usually is) it's best to study without music or other distractions.
October 20, 2009 at 11:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )