Combining music and work can be quite effective if you choose the right genre and the right songs.

Music has recently begun to make its way into the work environment. According to the BBC, about half of Britons surveyed in 2019 admitted that they regularly listen to music while working. Moreover, in 2 out of 5 cases, they also confirmed that music helps them get more done. So what’s behind the taste in music? And how exactly does it increase performance?

What influences our taste in music

Music first appears in a person’s life as a child, so upbringing plays an important role in shaping one’s taste. Maricz Kozak believes that “the music we listen to in early childhood is preserved as a kind of melody system. If later we hear a tune with a similar sound, it is more likely to cause a pleasant experience.

The greatest role in the choice of musical preferences, according to American sociologist Gerri Winstra, is the social stratification of society. He conducted about 1,500 telephone surveys in Vancouver and Toronto and found that “low-income people are more likely to listen to country, disco, rap. The rich prefer jazz, reggae, opera, and even pop music. This may be partly due to the fact that genres for the low-income developed more spontaneously.

Also, in Germany there is the concept of the “key moment. It consists in the fact that at certain moments our musical preferences can change dramatically under the influence of circumstances. For example, under the influence of the “Star Wars” soundtrack, many people started to listen to a lot more film songs and symphonic music. Psychologists have noted that young people are more influenced by the key moment. This is due to a general tendency to innovation among young people, as opposed to the older generation, as well as not very established system of world perception and more receptive to the former.

What our musical preferences say about our character

American scientists traced the connection between the type of music we listen to and our personality. It was observed that extroverted individuals are more likely to listen to jazz and pop music and less likely to listen to rock, as it is less suitable for making social connections. Rock and indie are listened to by introverted people with high creativity but low self-esteem. Those introverts with higher self-esteem prefer classical music.

The genre of music listened to also depends on psychotypes. For example, the playlist of sanguine people is very diverse and not tied to specific music, which is often very different from each other. They are open to everything new and unusual. Cholerics more often choose aggressive genres, such as alternative and heavy rock. They also prefer electronic music to the sounds of nature. Phlegmatics get used to a particular musical genre and do not change it throughout life. They are more likely to choose nature sounds and use music as a background in busy places. Melancholic choose music according to mood, and they are extremely unstable. These people often delve into the classics, and in moments of strife listen to melodic rock and gothic songs.

How Music Helps You Succeed

According to a University of Illinois study, music increases the productivity of any job by 6.3 percent. In addition, a study by Laura Ferreri, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Lyon, found that when a person listens to their favorite music, their body produces more dopamine. It is this hormone that is key to success, as it affects memory, motivation, attention, creativity and mood.

At the same time, another study showed that with the help of music decreases the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol, which prevents the occurrence of stress and nervous tension. And those people who dedicate 45 minutes of classical music before going to bed sleep more soundly and wake up more easily and awake more alert. In addition, according to this study, playing musical instruments helps many people at work. After playing music, people have new energy to go on doing what they are doing. Perhaps that’s why playing musical instruments is gaining popularity among top managers and entrepreneurs.

Music in the evening, a good night’s sleep and a brisk awakening in the morning – the key to successful and productive work during the day. But what kind of music to listen to in order to always stay in the resource?

What music to listen to to be more productive

Listening to the right music in and of itself is already beneficial to the work process. People who listened to their favorite songs while doing tasks did everything faster and more productively than those who did without. These were the results obtained by Teresa Lesiuk, assistant professor of music therapy at the University of Miami, in a study.

However, the specific type of music being listened to is still decisive. One of the most productive types is classical music. According to the University of Maryland, 7 out of 8 radiologists found that “baroque music increases mood and concentration during work.” So, for primary listening, Vivaldi’s “The Seasons” at an accelerated tempo is a great option.

Also increases productivity folk, epic music. For example, if you are tired, then, after listening to these songs, cheer up and ready again to move mountains. To calm down and concentrate on the process, listening to the sounds of nature, such as the rustling of leaves and the murmur of water would be good. Surprisingly, soundtracks from video games are ideal for increasing productivity. They are written to play in the background without attracting attention while helping you focus. This is often used by providers who make games for online casinos. That’s why so many people are interested in playing for real money, and casinos promote this in every way possible, developing a system of bonuses and other tools to attract and retain players.

Does playing a musical instrument help you work?

Not only music, but playing musical instruments promotes work, regardless of profession and education. It’s all about the Mozart effect, which is to activate the brain while listening to music, and to increase its productivity when performing time-consuming tasks. But this effect is not the only benefit of playing music. Playing an instrument trains discipline, composure, and concentration. Music helps connect almost all areas of the brain to the process and focus on a single task. The latter is especially important for entrepreneurs.

This is why many famous personalities play musical instruments in their leisure time. For example, Paul Allen, the billionaire and co-founder of Microsoft, plays the guitar; businessman and billionaire Bruce Kovner plays the piano; Google co-founder Larry Page plays the saxophone. Music helps to relax in between work and rejuvenate, so businessmen regularly take time to play music. Good taste in music, indeed, can be a boon to career and professional growth and productive self-development. By improving his musical preferences, a person, first and foremost, develops himself, his inner personality. And this is the key to a successful career. After all, listening to music, a person listens to himself.