Best Music To Help You Study—Boost Your Focus and Productivity
Does the thought of studying for a test or completing assignments/homework make you anxious and stressed? Or, are you always thinking about taking a break five minutes into a study session? You are not alone! It’s common to run into roadblocks when you’re setting aside time to study, such as:
- Getting distracted and losing focus
- Encountering boring or complex topics
- Lacking the motivation to study
- Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed by the workload
- Losing concentration
- Experiencing the urge to procrastinate
The good news is, listening to the right kind of study music can be a game-changer. Keep reading to find out how music can help you hit the books, put yourself in the zone, and get the most out of your study time.
Benefits of Listening to Music While Studying
Does music help you study? The answer to this question is not always a straightforward yes or no—and it’s reasonably so. While some research suggests that listening to music when studying can improve your performance, others find that it’s distracting—depending on the genre, study environment, any current distractions, and time of day. Also, study habits vary from one student to another, and different music affects people differently.
Still, there’s evidence that music has indirect benefits that can help you study more productively. The appropriate music for studying can:
- Boost your motivation
- Reduce stress and enhance mood
- Increase concentration by cutting out distracting noises
- Improve working memory
- Increase your single-task focus
- Learn faster and more efficiently
- Help you retain what you learn
Top 10 Study Music Recommendations
Before you hurry to create a study playlist of your favourite music, you should understand that not every tune will get you into the right study mindset. Below, we will explore the best music genres and sounds to help you study, plus the top 10 recommended platforms for accessing them.
Classical Music: Classical Music for Studying App
Ever heard of the Mozart Effect? Alfred A. Tomatis coined the term after he found that listening to Mozart’s music or any classical music while studying can improve your IQ. Unfortunately, recent studies have debunked the Mozart Effect theory.
On the brighter side, though, while listening to classical music may not help you improve exam scores, it helps you focus, endure long study sessions, and recall what you learn. One study concluded that university students who listened to classical music during classes did better than those who attended the same class without classical music.
Classical Music for Studying is a free iOS app dedicated to providing classical playlists that feature top classical composers like Mozart, Brahms, Pachelbel, and Back.
Nature Sounds: Spotify Playlist
We study best in a relaxed and stress-free environment. One of the best ways of creating such is to listen to calm and soothing nature sounds—wind, sea waves, jungle sounds, waterfalls, and rain. They have a calming effect on the nervous system, which creates the right atmosphere for studying. Other benefits of listening to nature sounds while studying include:
- Masking distracting sounds
- Enhancing concentration
- Boosting mood
This playlist on Spotify features different types of nature sounds, which can improve your focus and hence help you study effectively.
Ambient Music: myNoise App
myNoise app, available on both iOS and Android, provides free ambient sounds for studying.
Ambient music is a broad genre that uses gentle sounds to keep you focused. It includes a wide range of sounds, from an oscillating fan and nature to the hum of an air conditioner. Such sounds have no beat or lyrics, making it easy to blend in with any background noise. Great ambient music can even help people with ADHD ignore background noises and focus on their to-do lists.
Besides myNoise app, you can use other apps that are dedicated to providing ambient sounds, such as:
Instrumentals: Instrumentals Channel
If you have noticed a trend with the music that keeps you focused, then you know it’s all about lyric-free tunes. Songs without lyrics are less distracting. Instrumentals are particularly helpful for modern music lovers.
The Instrumentals Channel has various playlists organised by artist names. You can search instrumentals of your favourite artist/genre, enjoy the beats, and study without the distraction of lyrics. The last thing you want is extra words, especially for reading and writing assignments.
Ambient Video Game Music: Youtube playlist
If you are a video game player, you know every aspect of the game, including the music, is designed to keep you focused and deeply immersed. It’s a sure bet that the video gaming industry has invested enough resources to identify the right music for helping you navigate the stressful challenges and the intense moments of playing a game. Since studying can also be a strenuous activity, ambient video game music can help you stay focused on the task at hand.
Try to experiment with different video game music for studying, for instance, this playlist by the SuperGamesRed Channel. You can also search individual game’s soundtracks, like battlefield one, Hallo, and Assassin’s Creed 2.
White Noise: White Noise Lite app
When it comes to studying, even the sound of an electric fan can be distracting. Have you tried to study when your roommates are having conversations? It only ends in disappointment. White noise is designed to mask out distracting background sounds and enable you to focus without caring about your surroundings.
White Noise Lite provides such serene sounds and is available for iOS and Android.
Binaural Beats: Binaural Beats Study Music App
Distractions are a common study problem. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be completely engaged in your books in a way that you concentrate deeper and longer? Research suggests that listening to binaural beats on your headphones can help get you into a more focused and productive mental environment.
When listening to binaural sounds or frequencies, your left and right ear are simultaneously subjected to two sounds with different frequencies. Your brain detects the difference and creates a beat with a different frequency. The new frequency synchronises your brainwave—delta, theta, alpha, beta, or gamma—to match a desired mental state like focus or sleep. Alpha wave binaural beats are the best recommended for learning, as they are associated with focus and productivity. They can also be used for stress relief, winding down at the end of a long day or gentle sleep!
The Binaural Beats Study Music app only provides these types of sounds, which makes it ideal. The app is available on both Android and iOS.
Calming Piano Music: Youtube Playlist
Nothing beats listening to soft and calming piano music. It can help you study better by relieving stress, enhancing inner peace, and promoting deep relaxation. There is no shortage of serene piano music, from classical piano to modern soundscapes, to help you study.
Smooth Jazz: Youtube Playlists
Even if you are not a fan of Jazz songs, don’t dismiss them yet. Jazz music influences your brain waves to produce the desired effect like alertness, enhanced concentration, high energy levels, and stress relief.
Youtube jazz playlists are an excellent place to start.
Meditation Music: Spotify Playlist
Meditation music is a great must-have for your study playlist, especially when experiencing burnout. It calms your nerves, increases positive energy, boosts concentration, and gets you into a powerful state where you can handle challenging tasks. You can get started with this Spotify meditation music playlist or perform a quick google search.
Bottom Line
Having a good study playlist is a game-changer. The right studying music or sounds can ease the stress and anxiety of studying. This will put you in the right mental state to study productively. Remember that loud and fast-paced sounds are counterproductive.
If you struggle with homework or assignments, you can both save time and improve your grades using Zookal Study, an online study app. It’s a great way to keep track of all your studies in one place, and you can get help from expert tutors in a flash. Find out more now and start a free trial today!
