Music in the Workplace

During finals week, Spotify became my best friend. Distractions were everywhere and being able to plug in my headphones and get into the zone was key. With the semester over and my summer internship beginning, the real question that entered my mind was: can I use my headphones in a workplace? I wasn’t sure if listening to music was appropriate or even beneficial? Walking around the Londes office, it was pretty obvious that everyone loves their music. I wasn’t very hesitant to plug in and begin working.

Why listen to music at work

• According to several studies on discovery.com, dopamine is released when listening to music. That happy feeling from music may be just as addicting as sex or drugs
• When we drift away from our projects, most of the time, we tend to think of the negative things in our lives. We begin to focus on the stresses of our daily tasks instead of the positives. It has been shown that listening to music can actually “bring us back to the present moment.
• NYtimes.com mentions that music triggers the amygdala part of the brain, which is involved in abstract decision-making. So, when you are not listening to music and feeling stressed out, it is more likely that you will be make an irrational decision without looking over your options. Music tends to relax us, which in return helps open your eyes to a bigger picture
• Not only does music make a slow day seem faster, it can help in the creative process. When listening to the lyrics of songs, the prefrontal cortex region (responsible for creative thought) is fired up.

What We’re Listening To

Around the Londes office, everyone seems to have his or her own outlook about what is good music to listen to while working. When I asked Pat his opinion on what we listen to as a group, he said, “Well, everything Mike picks is usually bad.” Nelson agreed and claimed that: “it’s always 90’s here.” In rebuttal, Mike states that, “If loving Alanis Morissette is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.” While You Oughta Know blares through the speakers, there is no question that with or without music, there is some serious work getting done.

Deciding which type of music puts you in a good mood is extremely important because in most cases, we are most productive when we listen to music that we prefer. According to cnn.com, deciding exactly what we’re in the mood for can be much more complex than we realize. For example, when doing tedious math, many people will choose to listen to uplifting music and music as a motivator to stay awake and on task.

There are some things to consider when listening to music the workplace:

• Make sure to be respectful of your coworkers around you
• Keep the singing aloud for your shower
• Dance moves are strongly discouraged

We all have that one song that can instantly pump us up, why not bring it into the work place for motivation? So, next time you’re considering jamming to Justin Bieber at work, don’t think twice.