Music to study to

Struggling to stay focused? Listening to music can help you keep calm, increase productivity, boost your mood and motivation and even help you stay in the zone for longer. While listening to your favourite band might be great for keeping your spirits high, it might end up in a two-hour dance-a-thon and end up being more of a distraction.  

But which music is the best for studying? Everyone is different, and we’re all put off or distracted by different things — some people get distracted by music with lyrics, some find that soft tunes make them sleepy and others find that more upbeat music can agitate them when they’re trying to concentrate. 

We’ve outlined four sources of different music for you to try out — give them a go and see what works for you! 

Classical music  

For noise that is peaceful but won’t distract you from your work, classical music a great place to start. Studies have found that classical music helps the brain when working or studying. The relaxing rhythms are perfect have on in the background while you’re concentrating on your work.  

Streaming services like Spotify have loads of classical music. There are even playlists with classical music that works best for those studying — check out Mozart: Classical Music for Studying. 

Study playlists on Spotify  

Spotify playlists vary from genre to duration to mood. We mentioned classical playlists earlier, but the options extend way beyond Mozart or Bach. Searching ‘study playlists’, and you’ll find plenty of options — chill lo-fi beats, instrumental hip-hop and more. Some well-known playlists are Brain Food and Totally Stress Free — both can help to create a calming and relaxing environment for studying. Once you start finding tracks that you like, you can also make your own playlist! 

Brown noise  

Brown noise is completely different from your usual study tunes — in fact, it’s not music at all — but it may prove to be the perfect backdrop for anyone who really need to get in the zone. Short for Brownian noise, it’s ideal for those who are easily distracted from music or outside noises and just need something light in the background.  

Deeper than white noise, brown noise is a relaxing, consistent sound used to calm you over long periods of time. The easiest place to find it is over on YouTube — you’ll find tracks that vary from an hour in length to eight hours.  

Brain.fm.