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How Listening to Music At Work Can Help With Productivity

We’re all guilty of putting on music throughout the workday, whether to drown out chatty colleagues (it happens!), or to escape from the mundanity of the office for a little bit. However, we may actually be onto something when we pop in our earbuds and turn up the tunes. Recent literature has suggested that listening to music actually helps with productivity – provided that you like the music you’re hearing.

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According to Dr. Nikola Djordjevic, MD, a medical advisor for HealthCareers.co, calm music has soothing effects on the brain and can reduce anxiety and stress, while upbeat music can give your brain a boost of energy, necessary for feeling fully awake and ready to work on whatever tasks you have at hand.

The music should also be "motivating" in some way, kind of like how the background music in video games lets you know that you are working toward something and keeps you moving forward in the game.

We tuned into a handful of music therapy and psychologists in our network to see just how beneficial music actually is to productivity – and their answers make a compelling case for tuning into Spotify at work.

Music Helps With Endorphin Production

Music triggers the activity of all parts of the brain – it triggers the production of dopamine, the reward hormone which makes us feel satisfied, similar to having a good bite or making love. According to Dr. Djordjevic, it also triggers the production of endorphins, which can help you be in a good mood. “Classical and meditative music has proven the best for focusing, and they can help you learn better, or work more productively,” he adds.

It May Help Connect the Left and Right Sides of the Brain

Studies have shown that listening to music even helps you connect the left and right sides of your brain. “When you listen to music, your colleagues or other persons around you will be less likely to bug you with their questions,” says Balint Horvath, Productivity Coach and Founder of Projectfather. “You'll concentrate more on what you're doing by getting more into the zone.”

It Just Makes You Feel Good

“Something I know to be true, which may be worth considering is when people feel good, they are more productive, and music makes people feel good,” says David Hooper, Music Marketer at 23 Hours Agency. “It gets us in a headspace that lets us get more done, be nicer to people, be more confident, be more energized, to name a few.”

“According to recent studies, happiness has been linked to higher productivity,” adds Horvath. “Since music can change your mood, ideally to make you happier, it can positively impact your results.”

Everybody talks about things like binaural beats, or the Mozart Effect, or whatever the latest trends are to use music to make us smarter, faster, or stronger, but in the end, it all comes down to how people feel and music makes us feel good.

Music Can Help Develop Daily Habits

“Music is effective in improving performance, specifically in relation to repetitive tasks,” shares Caleb Backe, Health & Wellness Expert and Productivity Consultant for Maple Holistics. “Research reveals that music has the potential to make tedious and repetitive tasks more enjoyable, and also improve concentration during those tasks.”

What’s more, creating daily habits, such as starting the working day with the same music playlist, sends a signal to the brain to focus on work, which can make diving into day-to-day tasks feel more natural.

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It Helps Boost Creativity

Research illustrates that creativity is higher when you’re listening to ‘happy music’ which creates a positive effect on your mood. This improved mood may play a role in increasing creativity. “The type of music that you listen to can impact your mood,” explains Backe. “Essentially, listening to music that you enjoy can boost your creativity and subsequent productivity.”

Music Can Be Meditative

Depending on the work at hand, different types of music can be meditative and will help keep you focused and motivated to power through a given task. “If you are writing or working on something requiring deep thinking, then more calming instrumental music may be a great suggestion. For getting outside to work on a project that requires physical labor and less thinking, then upbeat, motivating music can help keep you in a flow,” explains Betty Moon, artist and producer. “This idea would be similar to why gyms use loud music to help get people through otherwise challenging workouts."

So how do you get the most out of the music you listen to in the office? A study performed in 2011 shows that familiarity with music boosts productivity. “My biggest tip regarding music for productivity is to listen to songs you're familiar with,” says Brooks Manley, creativity and productivity expert at CreativePrimer.com. “To take this a step further, I believe listening to the same song on repeat can improve focus and help you reach flow quickly. In addition, listening to instrumental songs with no lyrics can also improve productivity.”

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Kaitlyn McInnis, Khareem Sudlow