For Thomas Insights
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houghts After Dark answers the questions you have in the final moments before drifting off to sleep when a simple Google search turns into an hour-long exploration into how things are made and how they work. Your random late-night questions are answered here — even the ones you didn’t know you had.
In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the dwarfs sing “Heigh-Ho” as they go about their work unearthing diamonds. As Snow White cleans the dwarfs’ cottage with a group of wild animals, she sings and whistles while she works: “It won’t take long when there’s a song to help you set the pace.”
But does listening to music while you work actually boost productivity? Or is it simply romanticized in movies and TV shows?
Past Studies on Music and Performance
Walk outside and you will probably see a handful of people with headphones on. But music isn’t just for enjoyment; it is also used to focus. Studies show that music boosts levels of neurotransmitter dopamine, a brain chemical that helps people focus, and enhances creativity and motivational behavior.
In the 1940s in the UK, the program “Music While You Work” was dubbed a “half hour’s music meant specifically for factory workers to listen to as they work.” The program played live music two times a day in factories to boost morale. It was such a success that one manager reported their employees had increased output by 12.5-15%.
A 2001 study found that certain types of music were beneficial to spatial performance when testing both Mozart’s “K. 448” (more upbeat) and Albinoni’s “Adagio” in G-minor (downbeat). After listening to Mozart, participants of the study performed better, while Adagio listeners’ performance did not improve.
Results from a 1995 study by the American Psychological Association indicated that it wasn’t music that boosted productivity, but how relaxed employees were when listening.
A random sample of 75 employees listened to music while working for four weeks, while the other 181 employees did not get to listen to any jams. The employees that did listen to music while working “exhibited significant improvement in performance, turnover intentions, organization satisfaction, mood states, and other responses.” According to the study, this improvement in performance was due to a “mood state of relaxation,” especially those performing simpler job tasks.
