Do you tend to listen to the radio or a certain playlist at work? Music has the power to relax, induce a feeling of well-being, excite, or help you relive moments or states. But can it make you more productive?
While some suggest that music reduces productivity and the ability to concentrate, others, on the contrary, support the idea that music is an advantage for productivity, especially for those working in a shop that makes cabinets for contractor. The truth is in the middle, and it depends on many factors.
Music – from well-being to distraction
Listening to music activates the “pleasure center” in the brain and stimulates the limbic system and the orbital frontal cortex, which are associated with thought processes.
90% of the time you listen to music, you experience positive states, and a positive state increases creativity. So not only can music help increase productivity, it can make you more creative at work. However, if the music is particularly dissonant or the tempo is extreme, this could be distracting.
A study suggests that music while working improves general well-being and concentration power. Another research supports the idea that music is effective in increasing efficiency in the workplace, even when used to cover background noise.
Music and task difficulty
It also seems that getting a noteworthy boost in production from listening to music may depend on how good you are at what you do. According to studies, the best impacts were felt by people who were at an average level in what they were doing. If a person was already an expert in their work, they benefited from an increase in mood, but it did not affect their productivity.
On the other hand, if a person was good at what they were doing, but not an expert, productivity increased significantly. For a novice, it doesn’t seem to help productivity much as it can interfere with learning ability, and it just improves mood. Learning requires analysis and memorization of instructions and facts. The multitasking effect can thus interfere with effective learning.
When is music effective in cabinets for contractor workplaces?
Music can be effective at masking background noises at work. When you’re working, it can be quite difficult to concentrate if people around you are talking. Similarly, listening to music with lyrics is almost the same. Music with lyrics can be considered a form of multitasking, where the listener switches between a task and the music, as opposed to background music.
The effectiveness of music in increasing productivity depends on the type of music and the habits of the listener.