The Power of Music for Your Body and Mind
By Geraldo Neto
The right music can help you stay focused, lower stress, and even improve efficiency at your work.
But not all sounds are helpful. Some enhance mental clarity, while others distract.
Understanding how music influences productivity and well-being can help you make better choices for work and health.
The Good: How Music Supports Productivity and Health
Music does more than set the mood—it can directly impact how well you work and feel. Studies show that certain types of background music can reduce stress, sharpen focus, and even help with efficiency.
Background music boosts performance: In noisy workplaces, soft background music increased productivity by about 4%
Classical music supports concentration. Listening to classical music while studying can improve memory and focus, though effects vary by task
White noise helps some people. White noise can reduce distractions, especially for individuals with ADHD, leading to better focus
Music lowers stress: Relaxing music has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, which helps with stress management and overall well-being
Music speeds up repetitive tasks. In roles that involve manual or repetitive tasks, music helps people work faster without compromising accuracy
The Bad: When Music Becomes a Distraction
Not all music is helpful. Some types of music—or even just background noise—can make it harder to focus and get things done.
Lyrics disrupt reading and writing – Music with lyrics can slow down tasks that involve words, like writing and reading
Highly engaging music reduces focus – If a song is too catchy, it can pull attention away from work, making deep concentration difficult
Environmental noise is a major problem – Conversations, ringing phones, and other distractions can lower efficiency, especially for those who are sensitive to background noise
Choosing the Right Music for Productivity and Health
Picking the right type of music for the task at hand can make a big difference. Here’s what works best:
For deep focus (writing, coding, reading): silence or instrumental music.
For repetitive tasks (data entry, manual work) → Upbeat background music.
For creative work (brainstorming, problem-solving) → Classical, ambient, or film and video game soundtracks
For reducing workplace noise distractions → White noise or soft ambient music
For relaxation and stress relief, → Slow-tempo instrumental music
The Bottom Line: Music Can Improve Both Productivity and Health
Music is a powerful tool that can boost efficiency, reduce stress, and help with focus—when used wisely.
The key is matching the right music to the right task.
For deep concentration, silence or instrumental tracks work best, while background music can improve performance in less demanding tasks.
Pay attention to how different sounds affect you and experiment with what helps you work and feel your best.
References
Adams, O., & McNair, M. (2018). Noise and Neurons: Effects of Background Music on Reading Comprehension.
Chen, N. (2024). Effects of Different Types of Music on Students’ Study Efficiency. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Liang, P., Guan, H., Wang, Y., Chen, H., Song, P., , H., & Hu, S. (2021). The Effect of Music Tempo and Volume on Acoustic Perceptions under the Noise Environment. Sustainability.
Mak, C., & Lui, Y. (2012). The effect of sound on office productivity. Building Services Engineering Research & Technology, 33, 339 - 345.
Murata, T., & Hodoshima, N. (2019). Effects of classical , film and video game music on creativity.