What Should I Listen to While Studying
Brain.FM
You've got a study session ahead of you. You open Spotify, stare at a dozen playlists, Lo-Fi Hip Hop, Classical Focus, Binaural Beats, Video Game OSTs, and wonder: which of these actually helps?
It's not just you. Millions of people ask this question every day, and the internet gives wildly inconsistent answers. The truth is, the science behind studying and sound is more nuanced and more actionable than most listicles let on.
Let's break it down.
Why You Want Something Playing in the First Place
Most people reach for headphones when they study for one of three reasons: to block out distracting noise, to boost motivation and mood, or because silence feels too empty to concentrate in.
All three are valid. And interestingly, research confirms that your reason for wanting background audio matters when choosing what to play.
A 2021 survey published in Acta Psychologica found that people generally become more selective about their background music as tasks get harder, and naturally gravitate toward simpler, less intrusive audio when doing complex cognitive work. In other words, your instinct to turn down a busy playlist when you're deep in a problem set is correct. Your brain is protecting its working memory.
This is the core tension in all study music research: audio that energizes you can also compete with your cognitive bandwidth. The goal isn't to find music you love, it's to find audio that gets out of the way while keeping your arousal level in the optimal zone for focus.
What the Research Actually Says About Music and Studying
Lyrics Are the Big Villain
If there's one finding that holds up consistently across studies, it's this: music with lyrics hurts performance on most cognitive tasks.
A 2023 study published in PLOS ONE had college students complete tasks involving verbal memory, reading comprehension, and arithmetic under three conditions: silence, instrumental music, and music with lyrics. Lyrical music was the clear underperformer across the board.
The reason is fairly intuitive once you know it: your brain processes language automatically. When lyrics are playing, your verbal processing centers are partly occupied, even if you feel like you're tuning it out. If you're reading, writing, or doing anything language-heavy, that interference adds up.
Bottom line: If you're doing verbal or reading-heavy tasks, lyrics are a liability.
Your Study Habits Change What Works
Here's a finding that surprises a lot of people: whether music helps or hurts you partially depends on whether you already study with music regularly.
A 2024 study in Frontiers in Psychology found that habitual music listeners were significantly less impaired by background music during reading comprehension tasks than non-listeners. Students who rarely studied with music showed worse performance when music was present; their brains hadn't developed the top-down attentional control to tune it out effectively.
This doesn't mean non-listeners should give up on background audio. It does mean the type of audio matters more for them, and that something with very low complexity (think: ambient sound, white noise, or minimalist instrumental) is a safer bet than a melodically rich playlist.
The Task Type Rule
Research consistently points to a simple rule of thumb:
Simple or repetitive tasks (flashcard review, data entry, highlighting, routine problem sets): moderate-tempo music with some energy is fine and may even help
Complex cognitive tasks (reading dense material, writing, problem-solving, learning new concepts): less is more; opt for quiet, minimal audio or nothing at all
A review published in Psychological Bulletin Science and Interdisciplinary Reviews described this as the "arousal-mood" framework, music boosts performance mainly by elevating mood and arousal, but when the task itself demands high cognitive resources, the stimulation becomes competition rather than fuel.
A Practical Guide: What to Listen to Based on What You're Doing
Instrumental Music (Classical, Ambient, Post-Rock)
Best for: Complex reading, writing, problem-solving Why it works: No lyrics to compete with verbal processing; classical music in particular has been studied extensively, with consistent (if modest) benefits for attention and mood Watch out for: High emotional intensity, a dramatic Beethoven symphony might be too arousing; aim for Bach, Satie, or ambient composers like Brian Eno
Lo-Fi Hip Hop
Best for: Light studying, review sessions, creative work, warming up Why it works: Its repetitive, looping structure is predictably undemanding; the muted production keeps arousal moderate; a 2023 study found students scored notably higher on tests after studying with lo-fi compared to silence, though the research is still limited Watch out for: Occasional vocal samples can slip in; long sessions may become monotonous
White Noise / Pink Noise
Best for: Very noisy environments; students who find any music distracting; potentially beneficial for those with ADHD Why it works: Masks unpredictable environmental sounds; consistent, non-melodic; a 2024 meta-analysis from Oregon Health & Science University found white and pink noise improved cognitive performance for individuals with ADHD Watch out for: The same OHSU meta-analysis found noise may slightly impair performance in neurotypical individuals—so experiment before committing
Nature Sounds
Best for: Reducing stress during study sessions; anyone who finds music too stimulating Why it works: Research suggests natural soundscapes lower perceived stress without competing for cognitive resources; particularly effective for long sessions where fatigue is a concern Watch out for: Rain and running water sounds can sometimes trigger sleep. Match intensity to your alertness level
Video Game Music
Best for: Long sessions requiring sustained focus; gamers, especially. Why it works: Game scores are specifically composed to maintain engagement and arousal without demanding attention themselves; the music has to work whether you're solving a puzzle or exploring a map. That intentional design translates well to studying. Watch out for: Boss-fight tracks and combat music can spike arousal too high; stick to exploration or ambient game scores (Stardew Valley, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Journey)
Why Generic Playlists Fall Short and What's Different About Functional Audio
There's a meaningful gap between music you enjoy and audio that's been engineered to support your brain state.
When you open a Spotify "focus" playlist, you're getting music that has been curated based on mood, genre, and user preference. That's useful, but it's also hit or miss, because the music wasn't designed with your cognitive performance in mind. The same playlist that helps one person zone in might break another person's concentration entirely.
This is exactly the problem Brain.fm was built to solve. Instead of curating music you might like, Brain.fm engineers audio specifically designed to guide your brain into states associated with deep focus. The mechanism is called neural phase locking, a phenomenon where the brain synchronizes its electrical activity to rhythmic stimuli in the environment.
Brain.fm's Focus audio uses specific amplitude modulations at frequencies that correspond to sustained attention brain states, essentially giving your neural networks a consistent, gentle signal to entrain to. This isn't a playlist feature. It's applied neuroscience.
In a 2024 study published in Communications Biology (a Nature journal), researchers at Northeastern University's MIND Lab found that music engineered with beta-range amplitude modulations improved sustained attention, with the effect being measurable via fMRI and EEG, not just self-report. This is the category of research that informs Brain.fm's approach.
A Simple Decision Framework for Your Next Study Session
Not sure where to start? Use this:
Is your task language-heavy (reading, writing, essay editing)? → Avoid lyrics entirely. Try ambient instrumental, nature sounds, or Brain.fm Focus.
Is your task more mechanical (reviewing flashcards, practice problems you already understand)? → You have more flexibility. Lo-fi, game music, or upbeat instrumental can help maintain motivation.
Are you easily distracted or in a noisy space? → Prioritize audio that masks ambient noise—white/pink noise or music with consistent texture and low melodic variation.
Do you rarely study with music? → Start simple. Complex or emotionally evocative music may compete with your focus. Ambient sound or minimalist instrumental is a safer starting point.
Are you trying to enter a deep, sustained focus state? → This is where purpose-built audio like Brain.fm Focus genuinely outperforms a playlist. The audio is doing something a playlist isn't designed to do.
The Short Answer (Because You Deserve One)
For most study tasks, most of the time: instrumental, low-complexity audio without lyrics is the safest, most research-backed choice. The more demanding the task, the simpler the audio should be.
But "safe" isn't the same as "optimal."
If you want audio that doesn't just stay out of the way but actively supports the brain state you need to focus deeply, functional music purpose-built for cognitive performance is in a category of its own.
Your study sessions are finite. Your attention is precious. What you listen to while you learn shouldn't be an afterthought.
→ Try Brain.fm free and hear the difference for yourself.