Listening to Music While Studying Impairs Performance
A study found that listening to background music while performing cognitive tasks – yes, kids, such as studying – impairs overall mental performance and ability to do arithmetic or recall information later.
The surprising aspect to the study findings is that the interference with mental ability and ability to recall remained strong even when the music being heard is among a person’s favorite music; same as listening to music the subject hated. Quiet produced the best recall performance.
The researchers stressed that music might have some generally beneficial effect on our health but only when one listens to it prior to – never while – performing mental tasks or memorizing material. This study will be published in the September 2010 issue of the journal, Applied Cognitive Psychology. It is available early to read online at http://bit.ly/aCr5GE.
