I think most of us listen to music to relax and feel good.

In a previous post, I introduced some recommended music to work on, but this time I'd like to talk about how listening to music while working can increase your efficiency.

We will explore the relationship between music, the brain, and work, from the effects of music on the brain to recommended music to listen to while working.

Do you listen to music while you work? Or not?

Do you like listening to music while you work? Or is music a no-no while you're working?

Those who support listening to music at work believe that listening to music helps them work more efficiently, while those who oppose it believe that listening to music is distracting.

But why do some people find music bothersome and others don't?

This is because the parts of the brain that perceive music are different.

The same song can be perceived differently by different people.

The degree to which people know the song also varies.

These differences in sensitivity to music change the areas of the brain that perceive it.

Research into the relationship between music and work

There have long been many experiments and studies on the relationship between music and study or work.

For example, an experiment conducted by Wyatts and Langdom in 1937 found that listening to music while performing repetitive tasks increased daily productivity.

In Japan, too, playing background music in various factories has resulted in numerical benefits such as increased production and fewer mistakes.

What's also interesting is that while older studies have shown negative results, such as music decreasing or changing work efficiency, this has become more positive over the years.
It is said that this is because changes in our lifestyles and society have made us feel closer to music.

Right and left brain story

Our brain is divided into two parts: the left and right hemispheres.

The left brain is responsible for logical thinking such as language, while the right brain is responsible for sensation.

Music affects the right brain, and when the right brain is able to process musical information, there is plenty of room for the left brain to function.

However, this only applies to instrumental songs that only feature instruments.
When a song has lyrics, the lyrics are transmitted to the left brain as linguistic information.

For example, if you have to think about a difficult topic at work, your left brain needs to be fully engaged.

In that case, if you play a song with lyrics, your left brain will be used to understand the lyrics, and you will not be able to perform at 100% at work.

It's hard to concentrate on work like this. It's best to choose music that suits the situation.

Today we looked at the idea of ​​"working while listening to music" from the perspective of how it has been perceived up to now, the history behind it, and what goes on in the mind.

Tomorrow, based on this story, I will introduce some recommended songs and what kind of music is good for you ♪
Please look forward to it!