Five ways music can boost your productivity and wellbeing at work
There are many reasons why people enjoy music, from entertainment to relaxation. But have you ever thought about the impact that music can have on you and your colleagues at work?
Whether you work from an office, home or otherwise, here are five reasons why you might want to consider popping the stereo on as you knuckle down for your day’s work.
1) Music can improve your mood
Music can be hugely influential on your mood. You just have to think about the rush of emotions you experience during a movie, as the carefully composed soundtrack builds during a dramatic scene, to realise how powerful a trigger music can be. And it can have the same kind of impact when you throughout your day too.
Choose a feel-good playlist with uplifting lyrics, and it’s likely you’ll feel much more positive and upbeat. But, beware, choose an emotional, downbeat playlist and it could have the opposite effect.
2) Music can help you focus
If you’re looking to boost your mental performance, music could be the answer for improving your focus. Studies have found that having background music playing while you’re working could aid your concentration. It does this not only by blocking out other distractions, but by acting as a stimulus to engage the brain.
Genres best for this include classical and electronic, as they often don’t feature lyrics, which have the potential to distract from the task in hand.
3) Music can promote camaraderie
Regardless of personal taste, music really does have the power to bring people together. And, in turn, when people build good relationships at work, it can have a positive impact on their wellbeing and job satisfaction. Listening to music in an open workspace is a shared experience and something that can also provide a talking point. You never know, you could find yourself bonding with somebody you don’t know very well over a band you both love.
Recent research looking at Spotify playlists created for different occasions, found that the most popular artists to listen to in the office are AC/DC, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay, and the top artists for concentration are BTS, Ludovico Einaudi and TOMORROW X TOGETHER. So, if you’re stuck for ideas, these should be crowd pleasers!
4) Music can unleash your creativity
When you need to think outside the box, listening to music you love could be just what your tired brain needs in order to get back on form. Music helps to increase dopamine levels (the ‘feel-good’ hormone), which will make you feel happier and more motivated.
And with a better mindset, you’ll generally find that your creative juices flow more freely. In fact, a study of creativity levels, comparing working in silence versus with music playing, found that listening to happy music facilitated divergent thinking.
5) Music can help you remember
We’ve all been there; someone asks you to do something and then minutes later it’s gone from your mind. But music could help with this – and with retaining all sorts of knowledge and information. It’s a scientific fact that music stimulates the same area of the brain that controls memory and recall, which means it could help you to retain information and to learn new skills.
So, next time you’re having a bit of an off day at work, struggling to feel motivated or to get things done, why not pop on some of your favourite music? You’ll feel better for it, and your work will be better for it too!
Photo by Bench Accounting
