When it comes to studying, everyone has their own unique way of going about it. Some people prefer peace and quiet to concentrate, while others need that relaxing background music to fill the silence.

Depending on the type of person you are, your opinion varies on which you prefer.

Max Douglas, sophomore, said, “When I’m studying I can’t have other things being loud around me. Including listening to music, I just can’t concentrate with it.”

For many people, music just distracts them from focusing on the subject they are studying. Your mind can wander off to the words you are listening to. 

For some others, the music is a good background noise to allow them to concentrate on the subject they are studying. Complete silence can be distracting because of the fact that there is just nothing happening. 

Gabby Franco, sophomore, said, “I can’t do any work or study unless I have music playing. I can’t sit there and focus with complete silence around me.”

Listening to music can also help with some motivation to keep studying. Having some fun music in the background can really boost your mood. As well as preventing your mind from wandering during the silence. 

Silence gets boring and distracting, but music gives you something to fill the void. There’s also the aspect of lowering your stress. If you have fun music playing it’s harder to focus on the things stressing you out.

On the other hand, the music playing can cause your brain to feel like it’s going into overdrive. It’s a lot harder to retain new information while also processing the music changes in the background. 

It is especially unproductive when high concentration is needed, the music can cause a shift in your attention. Music with lyrics can cause a decrease in your ability to memorize certain things because you might be thinking more about the lyrics than what you are actively trying to memorize.

Everyone’s brains work differently, neither way to study is considered better.