Music & Productivity

The Yerkes-Dodson law is the theory, developed in 1908 by two psychologists for whom the law was named, that optimizing productivity requires an ideal level of cognitive arousal.  Too little arousal and you likely lack motivation and may become bored.  Too much arousal causes anxiety and stress that impairs productivity.

Basic cognitive functions include attention, perception, and working memory, and higher-level cognitive functions include speech, language, executive control, and decision-making. 

Six participants created two play lists: calming music and stimulating music.  The participants performed 16 cognitive tasks while listening to calming music, and in a different session, they performed 16 cognitive tasks while listening to stimulating music.  Researchers examined physiological data (respiration, skin temperature, EKG) and behavioral data (facial expressions). 

Participants performed better on cognitive tasks while listening to self-selected stimulating music, which supported the Yerkes-Dodson theory.

Takeaway:  Your custom playlist of stimulating music may help you achieve flow and improve your performance, especially on tasks that have become monotonous. 

Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix.

Source

Rose Faghih et al., Bayesian Inference of Hidden Cognitive Performance and Arousal States in Presence of Music, IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology, Bayesian Inference of Hidden Cognitive Performance and Arousal States in Presence of Music | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore

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