Your body may move to the music on the dance floor, but how does your brain function when listening to tunes while you work?
A lot of people swear one way or another — electronic music may speed up the pace of typing for some, while others just find it distracting. In fact, the question of whether music helps you get your work done or hinders you may be highly individualistic.
However, new research shows that certain types of upbeat, groovy music without lyrics may improve people’s moods while speeding up their ability to complete tasks.
“We think people’s mood improves, and that allows them to work faster,” says Pablo Ripollés, a cognitive neuroscientist at New York University.
In a study published recently in PLOS One, Ripollés and his colleagues recruited 200 volunteers and split them into four groups, each listening to a different type of sound for 10-minute stretches. ...
