Re:Why Music Is Helpful for Concentration
by tzs on Wednesday September 30, 2020 @12:53AM
(#24635795)
Most people cannot get silence. There will be some ambient noise, such as traffic, HVAC systems, computer fans, the sound of their own breathing or pulse, animals, creaking furniture, and such.
The choice then for most is not between music and silence. It's between music and all those ambient sounds.
A lot of those ambient sounds can be very distracting because they are unpredictable and intermittent.
If you can listen to music that is just loud enough to mask the ambient noise but not so loud that you have to pay attention to it, it can be less distracting than the ambient noise because music is predictable (at least if you are listening to something you know).
The choice then for most is not between music and silence. It's between music and all those ambient sounds.
A lot of those ambient sounds can be very distracting because they are unpredictable and intermittent.
If you can listen to music that is just loud enough to mask the ambient noise but not so loud that you have to pay attention to it, it can be less distracting than the ambient noise because music is predictable (at least if you are listening to something you know).