Studying and music..

[MexicanDr]

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When you study, do you listen to music on your mp3 players, watch/listen to tv or prefer to be in a very quiet area?

What do you listen while you study? I listen to a bled of Spanish rock, alternative, some r&b, old school rap, reaggaton ( pit bull etc), even some instrumental, nature music...

What about you guys?

 

[PiBond]

When you study, do you listen to music on your mp3 players, watch/listen to tv or prefer to be in a very quiet area?

What do you listen while you study? I listen to a bled of Spanish rock, alternative, some r&b, old school rap, reaggaton ( pit bull etc), even some instrumental, nature music...

What about you guys?

My girlfriend got me the "Mozart Effect" for my birthday. It's supposed to help with long periods of studying...

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Anything fast and upbeat. Dropkick Murphys, AC/DC, and MIA are great ones. Classical music is good if you really need to focus without interruption, though. I have Handel's Messiah on my iPod because it's a good goal--listen to the whole thing while studying without stopping. Not that I've managed to do it yet...

If I need to relax I have one of those "Sounds of the California Coast" albums. It's awesome.

 

[Analog]

Anything with vocals is too disturbing

So for studying i go with instrumental-
Boards of Canada
Explosions In The Sky
Ratatat
similar artists

 

[SpaceDementia]

Zero music for me. Can't study (or at least, am much less efficient) when any kind of music is on. Probably depends on what you've grown accustomed to.

If anything, though, I'd probably be fine with very-low-volume classical or ambient in the background.

 

[FirefighterDoc]

I found that if i listen to some soft rock with maybe a little piano in it( think the fray or similiar) it helps, but i absolutely cannot listen to any music that i know the lyrics because then i will sing along and get too distracted.

 

[MexicanDr]

but i absolutely cannot listen to any music that i know the lyrics because then i will sing along and get too distracted.

it happens..

 

[apumic]

State-based learning, anyone?
I study as close as possible to test-taking (or practical, etc.) conditions.

 

[EulerianCircuit]

If I'm really studying hard I don't listen to music. Otherwise, I listen to opera.

 

[MexicanDr]

State-based learning, anyone?
I study as close as possible to test-taking (or practical, etc.) conditions.

Can you elaborate more on this please? Never heard of this..

 

[LiveUninhibited]

I only listen to music if I'm doing something primarily non-verbal, like calculus or physics problems. In that case it doesn't really matter. I'll listen to hard rock or classical.

Can you elaborate more on this please? Never heard of this..

They're just referring to how if you study and test under the same conditions, your recall will allegedly be better. There won't be music playing when you're taking the test.

 

[CoolWhipp]

No music. Quiet, but not too quiet. I'm easily distracted... but if it's too quiet my own breath distracts me.

 

[slight365]

For me, I do great with music. I started during one of my more successful periods some years ago with progressive metal and thrash, which I still listen to from time to time. Now I'm into Doom, Death, some Black, and the previously mentioned. It's quite great having 60 gigs to choose from at a time and just make a playlist...

 

[zeppelinpage4]

With most of my HW and studying I have music on. Almost all of it is instrumental though, lots of trance/electronic, sometimes more intricate rock pieces and videogame/movie soundtracks.

Only if there is heavy reading involved or I need to try and understand a tough concept, then it has to be close to quiet with no other sounds or distractions.

 

[GoBeers]

With most of my HW and studying I have music on. Almost all of it is instrumental though, lots of trance/electronic, sometimes more intricate rock pieces and videogame/movie soundtracks.

Only if there is heavy reading involved or I need to try and understand a tough concept, then it has to be close to quiet with no other sounds or distractions.

yes! ferry corsten, deadmau5, tiesto, john o'callaghan, markus shulz, etc. etc.

nujabes for some good beats wit jazz/hip hop flavor.

never go wrong wit 90's gangsta mixes, e.g. notorious, tupac, daz, kurupt, snoop da loop, doggpound, ice cube, nwa, etc.

and then there's all the alternative indie stuff or rock... too much to list.

i'll throw in kenny chesney once in a very very very blue moon.

needless to say i love music. speaking of which... i have john mayer on... and this is after i just came back from les deux. haha

 

[oaklandguy]

light jazz, elevator music (these are usually the things playing in the cafe I study @)

If I'm at home, I'll blast hip-hop and rnb, some alt rock too depending on my mood.

That is if I'm not studying while watching tv or driving 😛

 

[Tesseract]

Legitimate studying? Trance. Artists like Tiesto (and everyone else on his podcast), Armin van Buuren, Cosmic Gate, etc. help me relax and keep pace. Everything else? Melodic Death Metal- In Flames, Soilwork, All That Remains, Rammstein, yadda yadda...

 

[J ROD]

I watch TV mostly when I study. I listen to music and sometimes even study in class while conversating...

I cant study in silence....I think TOO much!!!

 

[armybound]

sometimes I put pandora on my computer and study about 15 feet away. I turn it down low so that there's noise but I'm not distracted by it

 

[redsquareblack]

Pure metal.

Gojira, Lamb of God, Meshuggah, Pantera...

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Atmospheric DnB and tech/downtempo house. Not always though. I just got done memorizing 20 synthetic transformations listening to Tech N9ne's new K.O.D album.

 

[thedoctor8706]

Jazz or soundtracks make my studying a more pleasurable experience.

 

[Abby_Normal]

Usually, I listen to Irish/Scottish traditional or classical. It depends on what I'm studying. If I really need to focus, I avoid music with lyrics I like because I start paying too much attention to them (probably a side effect of an interest in poetry?). If I'm working in French, listening to anything (radio, TV, music) with words in English is out...I keep meaning to try listening to music in French while reading in French to see what that does, but I forget. And for some reason I can never focus listening to jazz.

However, I have found that listening to music while working can have side effects in terms of music appreciation. I've found that if I listen to a particular CD too much while working on something particularly stressful, I tend to avoid it afterwords. Managed to do this to a CD of Pachelbel last spring, unfortunately.

In general, my favorite music to study to (and what never picks up associations with stress)--particularly if I really need to focus--is Mozart opera, particularly Don Giovanni. 😀

 

[J ROD]

Nobody else watches TV while studying?

 

[FloatOn]

Nobody else watches TV while studying?

I pretend to be productive by looking at my notes during commercials. This usually ends up with me looking up every 15 sec to see if the show is back on.

 

[Struggles]

Ben Folds and/or The Postal Service.

For whatever reason I can focus really well when one of the two is on pretty quietly.

 

[angst019]

My girlfriend got me the "Mozart Effect" for my birthday. It's supposed to help with long periods of studying...

One of my VR essays on the MCAT was all about debunking the Mozart Effect.

I agree, though, listening to classical makes for some good studyings.

I typically listen to Ray LaMontagne.

 

[rockaction]

Anything with vocals is too disturbing

So for studying i go with instrumental-
Boards of Canada
Explosions In The Sky
Ratatat
similar artists

Yes. Analog has good taste. I swear freshman year would have sucked if I didn't have "Music Has the Right to Children" and "Geogaddi". Mogwai is another favorite of mine for studying, specifically "Happy Songs for Happy People" and "Rock Action".

Other good stuff - Brian Eno's ambient stuff, A Silver Mt Zion, Eluvium, the American Analog Set, Do Make Say Think...

 

[apumic]

Can you elaborate more on this please? Never heard of this..

State based learning is the phenomenon in which a person experiences improved recall of prior information in an environment and/or mental state similar to or the same as that in which the information was learned. Fundamentally, the most cited proposed pathway by which it operates is associations between the environment and the information learned. You and I experience state-based learning every time we walk into class and recall what occurred last time in that class as well as similar phenomena every time we walk into "that" restaurant where we were broken up with by a previous gf/bf (or where we had our first kiss, etc.) -- it's basically a derivative of classical (Pavlovian) conditioning.

The concept has been tested in a number of cognitive psych experiments with consistent results. The application to studying would be to study in an environment as similar as possible to that in which you will be tested. Additionally, this means you should study in the same mental state as you will take the exam (i.e., if on Ritalin or caffeine when studying, you should be on same drug when taking the exam -- they've actually done experiments showing that if high on MJ when studying, you will perform better high on the test than you in a normal mental state, same w/ alcohol).

For that reason, I personally avoid studying or taking tests when tired or on caffeine (or any other drug). I don't play music, watch TV, study w/ friends (for the most part -- unless I really want to put off the studying itself, haha), etc., because I find it distracting when studying.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

I blast electro.

 

[chman]

Nobody else watches TV while studying?

I do. Right now I am catching up on Dexter and it is kind of distracting me. Normally I put the spanish channel on to help me with my spanish.

 

[roseglass6370]

Haha, glad to see I'm not the only one who has issues studying with music!!

The only time I can listen to music when studying is if I'm doing math or some other subject that doesn't require me to do much reading. And then, I have to be pretty confident that I know the material well...(i.e. doing a set of math problems that are pretty cut and dry.)

When I do listen to music I usually just put on a Pandora station and let it play. Some popular choices are "Billy Joel Radio," or "Acoustic Alchemy Radio" (primarily instrumental). 👍

 

[learnmdabc]

nope. If i listen to music, i start singing or pick up my guitar. i love music too much to be distracted by studying. I dislike studying too much to not be distracted by music.

 

[chman]

I just switched from dexter to classical. I'm listening Bach air on G String. Working out well with my 'gender and the media" paper.

Also a fan of Mozart and Chopan, although Chopan is a little too much for studying.

 

[roseglass6370]

nope. If i listen to music, i start singing or pick up my guitar. i love music too much to be distracted by studying. I dislike studying too much to not be distracted by music.

Haha...sounds a lot like me, except the piano generally trumps the guitar. 😛 Only difference is my disliking studying depends on the subject.

 

[JJMrK]

Nobody else watches TV while studying?

If I'm doing busy work like writing up a lab procedure or doing easy problems I'll watch TV. If I'm actually trying to study productively (going over notes, reading, etc) then no noise is where it's at.

 

[FlowRate]

If I'm STUDYING (trying to memorize or learn something) then I get frustrated with music really quickly. If I'm doing homework, especially busy work, then anything I can dance to or feel like is good. =)

 

[c5212]

if it's casual studying, I always have itunes playlists pulled up w/ lil wayne aka weezy f. baby aka the GREATEST rapper alive, jay-z, swizz beatz, and 50 cent or else I can't study and start to get even more bored that I already am 🙄

 

[c5212]

you really should have had a poll on here btw

 

[Express7]

Casual studying or homework etc. then i listen to music (I listen to almost everything) but when it comes crunch time, music would be too distracting and counter productive.

 

[musafirah]

lately my miles davis + ella fitzgerald + godspeed you! black emperor channel on pandora. i love jazz the best.

 

[cicatrez879]

I was reading some neuroscience study that the human brain can really only effectively do one thing in a given instant. IE when you try and "multi-task" your essentially switching back and forth between the different thought patterns, much in the same way as pressing alt+tab on your computer. In this sense I think listening to music would only hold you back more, as you listen to it and do your work. It seems it'd only be a nuisance.

 

[chman]

I was reading some neuroscience study that the human brain can really only effectively do one thing in a given instant. IE when you try and "multi-task" your essentially switching back and forth between the different thought patterns, much in the same way as pressing alt+tab on your computer. In this sense I think listening to music would only hold you back more, as you listen to it and do your work. It seems it'd only be a nuisance.

I think it really depends on the kind of music. I agree with people who say to listen to music without words.

 

[teenmachinery1]

State based learning is the phenomenon in which a person experiences improved recall of prior information in an environment and/or mental state similar to or the same as that in which the information was learned. Fundamentally, the most cited proposed pathway by which it operates is associations between the environment and the information learned. You and I experience state-based learning every time we walk into class and recall what occurred last time in that class as well as similar phenomena every time we walk into "that" restaurant where we were broken up with by a previous gf/bf (or where we had our first kiss, etc.) -- it's basically a derivative of classical (Pavlovian) conditioning.

The concept has been tested in a number of cognitive psych experiments with consistent results. The application to studying would be to study in an environment as similar as possible to that in which you will be tested. Additionally, this means you should study in the same mental state as you will take the exam (i.e., if on Ritalin or caffeine when studying, you should be on same drug when taking the exam -- they've actually done experiments showing that if high on MJ when studying, you will perform better high on the test than you in a normal mental state, same w/ alcohol).

For that reason, I personally avoid studying or taking tests when tired or on caffeine (or any other drug). I don't play music, watch TV, study w/ friends (for the most part -- unless I really want to put off the studying itself, haha), etc., because I find it distracting when studying.

Yay for psychology!

 

[BBender716]

Tortoise is sweet chill music to study to! Definitely a top pick of mine.

 

[Le Rendezvous]

I only listen to one artist while studying: Tycho. It's very relaxing.

 

[Backpack]

I just go to the top floor of the library which is the most quiet. I can't listen to music while I study it's too distracting for me because I enjoy it too much 😎

 

[justdoit31]

if I have music on I tend to play contemporary Christian and broadway... sometimes classical and sometimes various other stuff but usually slower- I can't do rock or anything too hard whe studying

 

[Abby_Normal]

I pretend to be productive by looking at my notes during commercials. This usually ends up with me looking up every 15 sec to see if the show is back on.

Seconded.

 

[MexicanDr]

State based learning is the phenomenon in which a person experiences improved recall of prior information in an environment and/or mental state similar to or the same as that in which the information was learned. Fundamentally, the most cited proposed pathway by which it operates is associations between the environment and the information learned. You and I experience state-based learning every time we walk into class and recall what occurred last time in that class as well as similar phenomena every time we walk into "that" restaurant where we were broken up with by a previous gf/bf (or where we had our first kiss, etc.) -- it's basically a derivative of classical (Pavlovian) conditioning.

The concept has been tested in a number of cognitive psych experiments with consistent results. The application to studying would be to study in an environment as similar as possible to that in which you will be tested. Additionally, this means you should study in the same mental state as you will take the exam (i.e., if on Ritalin or caffeine when studying, you should be on same drug when taking the exam -- they've actually done experiments showing that if high on MJ when studying, you will perform better high on the test than you in a normal mental state, same w/ alcohol).

For that reason, I personally avoid studying or taking tests when tired or on caffeine (or any other drug). I don't play music, watch TV, study w/ friends (for the most part -- unless I really want to put off the studying itself, haha), etc., because I find it distracting when studying.

Interesting...thanks.

too bad I cant listen to my ipod while taking a test..