Will music replace mind-altering drugs?

I need silence to concentrate—whether I’m working, writing, or even packing a suitcase.

It’s essential for me to focus. And I find noise (like music) distracts me.

But apparently, I’m in the minority.

Turns out, nearly 80 percent of adults listen to music while they work.

Not only that, but popular streaming platforms are flooded with playlists claiming to improve focus!

So, today, let’s explore the impact of music on the mind…

A musical method

New research that was conducted in collaboration with Brain.fm—a startup specializing in music for concentration—digs into this phenomenon.

This company’s mission is to pinpoint and test for specific musical characteristics that stimulate areas of the brain involved in attention and focus.

Because while some swear by music for focus, others insist it offers nothing but distraction. It’s an interesting contradiction that this research set out to explore.

For the study, around 40 participants listened to a Brain.fm composition while completing computer tasks that required sustained attention. Meanwhile, researchers took EEG readings and MRI scans.

For comparison, they repeated the tasks while listening to regular music, pink noise (a deeper frequency than white noise), and total silence.

Researchers tested “rapid modulations”—a technique that makes the “louds louder” and the “quiets quieter”—to see how it impacts focus.

Here’s what they found…

A fascinating finding

The rapid modulations in the Brain.fm compositions elicited heightened activity in areas of the brain associated with attention and focus.

And the more intense the compositional changes, the more the music helped those with attention difficulties!

Plus, according to Psyche Loui, an associate professor of music and head of the Music, Imaging, and Neural Dynamics (MIND) Laboratory at Northeastern University, “The brain actually oscillates at certain frequencies. If you insert those frequencies into the music, that might influence your activity in those same frequencies in the brain.”

That sounds straight out of Star Trek to me and oh, so cool!

Of course, there’s plenty of evidence suggesting music can help children with autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

But I have to admit that I had no idea about the magnitude of people who use music as a way to concentrate.

And while the method above seemed to work best on those with ADHD symptoms, I have to wonder how it might help those of us whose attention wanders frequently…

Could it help get us back on task more quickly?

It’s an intriguing thought that also begs the question if background music could one day replace mind-altering drugs.

I’ll keep you posted if and when new research emerges. But for now, why not experiment with music at home? Try listening to something fast and without lyrics that energizes and excites you and see if you notice a difference in your attention, focus, or mood.

Source:

“Music can improve focus for people with ADHD. Here’s what to listen for.” Northeastern Global News, 01/14/2025. (news.northeastern.edu/2025/01/14/music-for-adhd-focus/)