Do you listen to music while you work? Seth Porges of BloombergBusiness wrote an interesting article that shows you the science behind selecting the right kind of music you listen to while working. Various studies have found that a moderate amount of background noise can actually make you more creative. Further, if you match the music to the job you are doing, you can actually boost your productivity, not to mention you mood:
Headphones at work are more than just a universal “Do Not Disturb” sign: They’re a must-have accessory for those squeezing as much productivity as possible out of the day. An extensive body of research shows what headphone wearers have known for years: When wielded the right way, music and noise can increase your output and make the workday go by faster.
Research dating back decades has shown that listening to music can make repetitive boring tasks more enjoyable—and make workers tackling these tasks more productive. In a study done in 1995—well before the birth of the iPod—researchers at the University of Illinois found that listening to music with headphones made workers more effective, with the biggest jumps seen in simple, repetitive tasks such as data entry, where productivity rose by about a full 14 percent, while lifting workers’ moods.
Interesting stuff. The article is worth a read: The Science of Picking the Right Music at Work
