Music and Studying: It’s Complicated

Music can motivate you, improve your mood, and help you relax. It can even help you focus so you can study or work. But different types of music can have different effects.

Many people find music helps them concentrate while studying and working. Others find it hard to focus with any background noise at all.

Music offers a lot of benefits, including:

But not everyone agrees that music improves a study session. So what’s the deal — does it help or not?

Music doesn’t affect everyone in the same way, so the answer is not just a straightforward “yes” or “no.”

Keep reading to learn more about the pros and cons of studying with music and get some tips for making the most out of your study playlist.

It would be fantastic if you could put on a playlist or song that could help you knock out a problem set or memorize all those dates for your history final, wouldn’t it?

Unfortunately, music isn’t quite that powerful. It mostly helps in indirect ways, but those benefits can still make a big difference.

Music doesn’t just motivate you. It can also help reduce stress and promote a more positive mindset.

In a 2013 study, 60 female volunteers carried out a psychological stress test while listening to relaxing music, sounds of rippling water, or no particular sound. Results suggested that listening to relaxing music makes a physical difference to the way people respond psychologically and physically — in terms of hormone response — under stress. However, the picture is complex, and more studies are needed.

In a 2021 study, patients in ICU said they felt less pain and anxiety after listening to music for 30 minutes than before.

Research suggests that a good mood generally improves your learning outcomes. You’ll likely have more success with studying and learning new material when you’re feeling good.

Studying can be stressful, especially when you don’t entirely understand the subject material. If you feel overwhelmed or upset, putting on some music can help you relax and work more effectively.

If you’ve ever grappled with a long, exhausting night of homework, your resolve to keep studying may have started to flag long before you finished.

Perhaps you promised yourself a reward in order to get through the study session, such as the latest episode of a show you like or your favorite takeout meal.

Research from 2019 suggests music can activate the same reward centers in your brain as other things you enjoy. Rewarding yourself with your favorite music can provide the motivation you need to learn new information.

If you prefer music that doesn’t work well for studying (more on that below), listening to your favorite songs during study breaks could motivate you to study harder.

According to a 2007 study, music — classical music, specifically — can help your brain absorb and interpret new information more easily.

Your brain processes the abundance of information it receives from the world around you by separating it into smaller segments.

The researchers found evidence to suggest that music can engage your brain in such a way that it trains it to pay better attention to events and make predictions about what might happen.

How does this help you study? Well, if you struggle to make sense of new material, listening to music could make this process easier.

You can also link the ability to make better predictions about events to reasoning skills.

Improved reasoning abilities won’t help you pull answers out of thin air come exam time. But you could notice a difference in your ability to reason your way to these answers based on the information you do have.

Other research also supports music as a possible method of improving focus.

In a 2011 study of 41 boys diagnosed with ADHD, background music distracted some of the boys, but it appeared to lead to better performance in the classroom for others.

According to a 2014 study, listening to classical music seemed to help older adults perform better on memory and processing tasks.

These findings suggest certain types of music can help boost memorization abilities and other cognitive functions.

Music helps stimulate your brain, similar to the way exercise helps stimulate your body.

The more you exercise your muscles, the stronger they become, right? Giving your brain a cognitive workout could help strengthen it in a similar fashion.

Not everyone finds music helpful for tasks that require concentration.

An important part of music’s impact lies in its power to distract.

When you feel sad or stressed, distracting yourself with your favorite tunes can help lift your spirits.

But distraction probably isn’t what you’re looking for when you need to hit the books.

If you’re trying to argue your position in a term paper or solve a difficult calculus equation, music that’s too loud or fast might just interrupt your thoughts and hinder your process.

Working memory refers to the information you use for problem-solving, learning, and other cognitive tasks.

You use working memory when trying to remember:

Most people can work with a few pieces of information at a time. A high working memory capacity means you can handle more material.

Research suggests, however, that listening to music can reduce working memory capacity.

If you already have a hard time manipulating multiple pieces of information, listening to music could make this process even more challenging.

Certain types of music — including music with lyrics and instrumental music that is fast and loud — can make it harder to understand and absorb reading material.

Whether you’re looking at an evening of Victorian literature or some one-on-one time with your biology textbook, soft classical music with a slow tempo may be a better choice.

Listening to music while you study or work doesn’t always make you less productive or efficient.

If you prefer to study with music, there’s no need to give it up. Keeping these tips in mind can help you find the most helpful music for work and study:

Some research suggests that music can help reduce stress during an academic task and that it may help with memory and processing during tasks that require thinking. However, this may depend on the type of music and the individual.

The best type will depend on the individual. There is evidence that classical symphonies or relaxing music are a good choice for managing stress, but also that upbeat music might boost a person’s thinking processes. Instrumental music may be more suitable than songs with lyrics, as the lyrics can be distracting.

Each person can decide if it suits them to listen to music while studying or not and which type of music is best. Types of music that may not be helpful include songs, fast and loud music, and music that provokes strong feelings in the listener.

Music can improve your mood and help you feel more motivated to tackle important tasks, but it doesn’t always work as a study tool.

Even people who love music might find it less than helpful when trying to concentrate.

Choosing music carefully can help you maximize its benefits, but if you still struggle to focus, it may help to consider white noise or other audio options instead.

Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.

What Apple’s WWDC 2023 revealed for professionals in the remote-work era

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC2023) this week saw the tech giant unveil a host of cool new innovations for everyday consumers, and they certainly didn't forget the modern working professional!

Apple introduced a range of groundbreaking products and software updates specifically designed to help professionals in the rapidly evolving remote work landscape. With an emphasis on productivity, collaboration, and connectivity, these new offerings will likely revolutionize the way people work across various industries, provided you can afford them.

Even though just two months back. the tech giant was heard monitoring employee attendance via badge records to make sure they're going to the office in person at least three times a week, its WWDC line up has the stuff that a remote worker's dreams are made of.

While we are all used to working from our bedrooms and dining tables, Apple ?s Vision Pro headset could smoothen that experience to an unprecedented level. Calling it a ?spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world, while allowing users to stay present and connected to others,? Apple has gone beyond traditional displays, introducing a fully three-dimensional user interface that the user can control with their eyes, hands, and voice.

VisionOS, which Apple is calling ?the world's first spatial operating system? features a three-dimensional interface, which means apps can appear side by side at any scale, making a user's bedroom look like a futuristic, life-size computer. With an ultra-high-resolution display system, containing 23 million pixels across two displays, Vision Pro customizes Apple silicon in a dual-chip design so that the experience is akin to a real time experience.

Apple Vision Pro offers immense screen real estate, and with support for Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, users can set up a workspace wirelessly in sync with capabilities of their Mac, creating almost a private room with portable 4K display promising crisp text.

Set at USD $3,499, Vision Pro might not be within everyone's budget yet, but knowing Apple, it will likely come up with more affordable versions in the coming months or years.

WWDC previewed macOS Sonoma, Apple's latest desktop operating system, showing off many features like stunning screensavers and powerful widgets. It offers enhanced video conferencing features that let users present and share work more effectively in any video conferencing app.

For remote workers who use presentations, the OS offers features like Presenter Overlay, which places the presenter on top of the content being shared. Users can also apply Reactions, fun gesture-triggered video effects with a cinematic quality. Users can use a hand gesture to share how they feel by seamlessly adding balloons, confetti, hearts, etc. into the video. To easily share content or an app from their currently open windows, users can click the green button in the top-left corner of an app and share it in a video call.

Also, in Safari, users can stay organized with the help of profiles by separating browsing between topics, while keeping cookies, history, extensions, Tab Groups, and Favorites separate. Users can use both work and personal accounts to sign in to the same site and switch between them too.

Better Hybrid & Remote Pro Workflows

With the help of the advanced media engine in Apple silicon chips, macOS Sonoma introduced a new high performance mode to the Screen Sharing app, which delivers what Apple calls ?low-latency audio, high frame rates, and supports up to two virtual displays,? allowing high responsive remote access to hybrid in-studio and remote pro workflows. Pros can use this mode to securely access their content creation workflows from any place.

MacOS Sonoma updates also include streamlined PDFs for rapid form-filling with AutoFill and smart recipient recommendations. Also, Notes now shows PDFs and document scans in full width. In addition, users can instantly connect related notes such as recipes or homework with linked notes.

WWDC 2023 also revealed the tvOS 17, where Apple is now adding FaceTime and video conferencing. As Bob Borchers, Apple's Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing, said, ?tvOS 17 transforms the biggest screen in the home with FaceTime and new video conferencing capabilities, giving Apple TV 4K users the ability to easily connect with anyone right from their living room.?

Apple has also revealed its plans to launch video conferencing apps like Webex by Cisco and Zoom will launch on tvOS later this year, furthering the remote conference call experience offered on the platform.

Lastly, according to the company, developers can now leverage Continuity Camera APIs on Apple TV 4K to integrate the iPhone or iPad camera and microphone into their tvOS app, to create novel immersive entertainment experiences that can be used for presentations in the workplace and further the creative power of content creators and marketers.

Private & Protected While Remote Working

Privacy issues are foremost when remote working, and Apple is always vocal about their emphasis on privacy protection. Unfortunately, remote working does make organizations more vulnerable to data breaches. According to a study by Fortinet. 62% of organizations that offer remote work have faced data breaches, the reason being at least partially because of employees working remotely.

On the Vision Pro, Optic ID is a new secure authentication system that scans a user's iris under several invisible LED light exposures, comparing it to the enrolled Optic ID data, which in turn is protected by the Secure Enclave. The fully encrypted user Optic ID data is not accessible to apps and is not stored on Apple servers.

In addition, Vision Pro doesn't share Vision Pro's eye tracking information with Apple. Moreover, data from the camera and sensors is processed at the system level, which means individual apps don't have to access a user's surroundings to allow spatial experiences. The EyeSight feature contains a visual indicator that informs when a user is capturing a spatial photo or video.

Additionally, at WWDC, Apple announced a significant update to Private Browsing on Safari, providing protection during browsing from trackers and people with access to the user's device. Apple has improved tracking and fingerprinting protections in Private Browsing to help prevent websites from tracking or identifying a user. When not in use, Private Browsing windows lock, letting users keep tabs open even when away from the device.

Users can create a group to share a set of passwords, where members can add and edit passwords to keep them up to date, which is end-to-end encrypted being shared through iCloud Keychain. In addition, the one-time verification codes that users receive in Mail will now autofill in Safari, so they can securely log in without leaving the browser.

In a world transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working has become the new norm, and businesses worldwide are adapting to this paradigm shift. The WWDC introduced a lineup of revolutionary products and software updates aimed at empowering work professionals in the era of remote working. Pricey but useful, these innovations are set to reshape the way we work, enhancing productivity, collaboration, and connectivity for professionals across industries.

By Navanwita Sachdev, The Tech Panda

Read more news like this on HindustanTimes.com

Study: Omega-3 may help develop baby's gut

Pregnant women may already be taking prenatal vitamins, but some may want to consider adding omega-3 fatty acids, too, according to new research. A woman's body doesn't make omega-3s, so she has to get them elsewhere, like in a supplement or through diet. Salmon is a highly recommended healthy omega-3 food for pregnant women. Mercy Medical Center pediatrician Dr. Ashanti Woods said new research shows omega-3s may benefit a developing baby's brain, heart, eyes, and now, even gut health.