As exams loom in the near future, students often seek out quiet spaces to commence their revision. With various revision methods at their disposal, one question arises: Is it more beneficial to study in silence or while listening to music?
Exams always seem to be just around the corner. It’s time to find a quiet space and to start revising. Everyone has their own methods for revision. You only hope your method is the best one. But here’s a question for you to think about: do you prefer listening to music when you revise, or is it better to study in silence?
Research about this very question was recently conducted at Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales. Thirty students were invited to study for a comprehension. For their revision, they were divided into the following four groups:
- GROUP 1. Revised in total silence;
- GROUP 2. Revised listening to music with lyrics they liked;
- GROUP 3. Revised listening to music with lyrics they did not like;
- GROUP 4. Revised listening to music with no lyrics.
So which group do you think performed the best in the comprehension? You may be surprised and perhaps disappointed if you prefer to listen to music when you are revising.
- Students from group one performed more than 60 per cent better than groups two and three;
- Students in group four did better than students in groups two and three;
- There was no difference in performance between groups two and three;
The evidence from this research certainly makes it look as if you are better to revise with no music at all. The research did find though that if you listen to music you like before (and only before) you begin to revise, your performance may be better. When it’s time to concentrate, especially on new and difficult work, it is best to study in silence.
What do you think about this? Is the survey wrong? Were too few people tested to get an accurate result? Is the survey right and it is time to switch off the headphones?
Question:
Does music help you study? Here’s another point of view
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