Concentrating with music, does it really work?
Everyone listens to music while performing a task, whether they're studying for an exam, driving a vehicle, or even reading a book. Many of these people argue that background music helps them concentrate. why? If you think about it, it doesn't make much sense. Why should you be more focused and not less when you have two things to focus on? Some people even go as far as to say that it's no longer distracting from music. So what's going on there?
Musical Features
It's not clear why the brain loves music so much in the first place, although it clearly does. Interestingly, there is a specific spectrum of musical traits that the brain prefers. Experiments by Maria Witek and colleagues show that there must be an average level of syncope in music to induce a pleasure response and associated exercise in individuals. What this means: music should be funky but not too funky so people enjoy wanting to dance. Your own experience is likely to support this. Simple, monotonous beats, like listening to a metronome, aren't really entertaining. They have low levels of syncopes and certainly won't let you dance. Also chaotic and unpredictable music, such as free jazz, has a high degree of syncopation, can be extremely unpleasant and rarely if ever tempts people to dance.
