Increasingly we hear about power of music on concentration and focus. So why do some people prefer silence? And why is music best one day, while silence works the next?
Few deny that music can enhance different operations of the brain and even inspire us to whistle while we work. Some people tell you that silence works more though, whether they think or work. Why the difference?
Recently, a Stanford study showed how the brain gets going when the music stops. Is it possible that all these findings also show why musical preferences differ at times?
In this study, Mercury News writer Lisa Krieger claims that … Silent pauses lend clues to mental processes. In Krieger’s words … “While music may soothe the savage breast, the brain thrills to the sound of silence.”
Have you found, like this study discovered … that silence often awakens the human brain? Or that the same music which frustrates you when you read or think … tends to motivate you when you walk or build?
Why is it so?
The answer lies within musical beats … as melodies align to the speed of your brain waves … or as rhythms pound against your mental motion. One tune energizes peak performances ... and another shifts your mental state into panic or passivity against your will. Are you beginning to see why one person’s music is another’s noise?
As Dr. Robyn McMaster reminds us, music influences your brain waves more than most people realize. Do you believe it?
Curious about your own connections between music … brain waves … and mind-bending performances? Then, why not play a musical selection or two … preferably classical tunes to start … as background sounds while you work?
Earphones offer a remedy for groups, where one person’s music becomes another person’s noise. What's your solution?
As much as I love music, I much prefer to read, write, or do any sort of creative work in silence. When it comes to physical work, music is tolerable, but if there has to be noise, I prefer talking to someone.
Posted by: Brad Shorr | October 6, 2007 7:05 AM | Permalink to Comment