Today, I’m taking a short exploration into the impact of music, specifically binaural beats, on focused work.
Music carries the potential to get us into a deep state of flow and even helps us access creative solutions for our work. Here is where binaural beats are often mentioned.
Binaural beats are created when two tones of slightly different frequencies are played in separate ears simultaneously. Our brain perceives these two tones as a creation of a new tone whose frequency is equivalent to the difference between the two tones being played. This auditory illusion is called binaural beats.
In 2013, a study by Leiden University in the Netherlands looked at how brainwave sounds affect divergent thinking. It’s the mode of thinking which uses imagination to generate creative and original ideas for a problem. Their finding was that binaural beats, regardless of the frequency, can affect divergent thinking.
If binaural beats are not your cup of tea then I recommend that you look for music that you resonate with and that supports rather than distracts you from your work. For example, it’s helpful if the music you choose has no lyrics otherwise your brain will be busy trying to follow the lyrics rather than concentrating on your work.
Here are a few playlists and resources for you to explore:
Do you listen to music when you are working? What is your favourite playlist?