Does listening to music affect your reading comprehension?

Answer 1

While some people prefer to have background noise (such as music) going while they study, others prefer complete silence. And it also depends on the type of studying you're doing. For instance, someone studying simple math problems might be less distracted by music than someone studying advanced economics.

The key question to ask yourself is "Am I spending more time listening to the music than I am spending on my studies?" If the answer is yes, then you need to cut the music down or turn it off altogether.

The latest scientific information shows that some background noise usually does help most people "tune out" noises like traffic, construction, or people talking, and help them concentrate on what they are doing. However, this music should be slow to medium paced (not fast rock or heavy metal) and have no vocals or loud drum beats!

Music can affect you in a variety of ways. Depending on the type of music you listen to you can change your brain waves to make you achieve a higher state of awareness/concentration. Instrumentals are usually the best for studying/homework as (as long as decently light) they take you into the alpha brainwave state. You get your most heightened sense of awareness and concentration in this type of brainwave. Stay away from rough beats and lyrics as they can be distracting to your work.

Some people (I am one of them) cannot concentrate when it is too quiet around them. These people do benefit from having music playing quietly in the background while they work. Notice the emphasis on quiet - playing your favorite music loudly will just distract you from your work, and will have a negative effect on your studies. Sometimes it helps to play Classical Music or jazz - music without words - because many people key in when they hear words, and subconsciously focus to figure out what is being said.