Abstract

Across a team or an entire organization, the key performance factors like increased productivity, minimal error, high morale, positive atmosphere and good customer service are always the major ingredients contributing towards employees’ overall task performances, which will then lead to an inspiring business growth. Music has a profound effect on human behavior. It creates ambience, changes mood, influences behavior, evokes emotions and builds pleasant personality among employees. This study attempts to shed light on the correlation between specific genre music with mood, concentration and work efficiency. It aims to see whether popular music or calm music aids in employees’ task performance better than Mozart music. In Camy Bookland (a bookshop that sells children’s books, educational toys and stationery), two participants are exposed to said set of music while they are working. They are required to self-assess their work performance and behavioral response (in terms of State Positive Affect, Quality of Work and Time Spent On Task) by filling up the questionnaire. Findings showed the participants perform significantly better in the presence of Mozart music as compared to Pop music and Calm music. Mozart music helps regulate mood and increases quality of work as it evokes a pleasant mood and an increases arousal state. Comparatively, Mozart music provides a 'controlled distraction', which is helpful to the employees in speeding up work. It prompts to force brain into gear and hence prevents the mind from “wandering off”. However, music isn’t beneficial for the employees in every situation. Sometimes it can divert some of the mental resources away from the novel task (especially a cognitively demanding task) at hand. Therefore, a decent music selection is very important in determining whether it hampers the job performance or bolsters the productivity.

Introduction

Widespread use of music in the marketplace is used to achieve various objectives. In particular, music is employed in the background of offices, retail stores and restaurants to produce desired attitudes and behaviors not only among customers, but employees. Studies suggest music may assist employees in performing tasks at work by positioning them in positive mood states through the optimal level of arousal induced by the music. This is important because someone’s mood can have an influence on his/her social behavior and cognitive process. With respect to cognitive functioning, positive mood may facilitate decision-making, problem solving, creativity as well as efficiency (Isen, 2000).

Music is powerful in evoking moods, emotions and memories. It has a range of effects in human mental power. Background music, in particular, has great potential in increasing productivity and employees’ well-being in the workplace. With the plethora of music genres available, it is important to understand how different types of music impact work performance. Stimuli that are enjoyable to an individual will induce a positive mood and increase arousal level. This consequently leads to better performance, which facilitates concentration and provides pleasure to the employees.

So ‘Will Listen to Mozart’s music make you smarter?’ Don Campbell (a classical musician who has extensively researched the role and uses of music in therapeutic settings, psychology and imagery application, and also the author of ‘The Mozart Effect’) has further tapped into the power of music in strengthening mind and unlocking creative spirit. ‘The Mozart Effect’ principally discusses that listening to Mozart (especially the piano concertos) may raise one's intelligence. Besides, it produces many other beneficial effects on mental function too. After ‘The Mozart Effect’, there were 2 follow-up books by him, i.e. ‘The Mozart Effect for Children’ and ‘16 Music for the Mozart Effect’. He has also created some related products. These collections of music essentially harness the Mozart effect to enhance concentration and rejuvenation, intelligence, learning as well as creativity and imagination. In the workplace, music raises performance levels and productivity by reducing stress and tension, masking irritating sounds and contributing to a sense of privacy.

Classical music benefits concentration greater than rock and roll music or other pieces featuring wild rhythms. Music-listening can give a divine pleasure. A working environment with music helps employees’ mood. According to Bill Thompson, a music cognition researcher and professor of Psychology at Macquarie University, Mozart’s music in general influences cognitive performance by affecting both mood and arousal. “When people listen to music that induce positive mood and higher levels of energy, they tend to perform better at creative tasks and their mental quickness is increased. A positive mood is a catalyst towards a good performance. It increases alertness and helps employees to perform mental tasks effectively.

Mozart’s music always tops the classical bestsellers list on the Internet bookstore Amazon. Mozart effect has gained great popularity as it elevates one’s mood, enhances mental clarity and improves learning skills, which are important ingredients in a working environment. This also explains why mothers have since been encouraged to tune into baroque music to boost infants’ intelligence, strengthen the mind as well as develop creative thinking skills.

Research find that music promotes a positive mood change and enhanced perception while working. Results show quality of work was lowest when no music was played and that individuals actually spent longer time on tasks when there was no music. On the other hand, those who did listen to music finished their work more quickly and proposed better ideas. (Lesiuk, 2005)

In Camyland, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major is played as background music in order to help the employees to: -

1. Exercise – Listening to music can drown out the brain’s cries of fatigue. It competes for the brain’s attention, helps to override fatigue and hence coordinates employees at work
2. Improve learning abilities – Music affects the process of learning and thinking. Mozart’s music can make the employees feel motivated. Thus, they work faster and become more efficient
3. Boost confidence – Mozart’s music has a positive effect on the interpersonal skills of an individual. Lacking interest or motivation, leading to poor work performance, does not necessarily attribute to lacking intelligence. Mozart’s music encourages people to venture into something challenging. It increases their level of belief in themselves and thus boosts confidence
4. Increase concentration levels, improves memory and encourage self-discipline – Mozart’s music is believed to stabilize the mental, physical and emotional rhythms to develop a deep concentration when dealing with large amount of content information. It improves the ability to recall what is retained in the brain. Hence, it increases concentration, mental alertness as well as encourages self-discipline
5. Develop creativity and problem-solving skills – Music has a positive impact on the right side of the brain. It triggers the brain center, which deal with the enhancement of creativity. Besides, it increases reasoning skill, which is essential in problem solving and decision-making. Research has shown Mozart’s music is known to have a positive effect on reasoning that makes someone smarter
6. Alleviate the emotional effects of stress and anxiety when engaged in complex cognitive processing like completing a difficult task or dealing with heaps of work
7. Set the mood for learning, help to establish positive learning state, create desired atmosphere, build a sense of anticipation, energize learning activities, facilitate a multi-sensory learning experience, enhance imagination as well as develop rapport
8. Pass the time – When the employees are performing the routine, which can be tedious most of the time, listening to music can help to “pass the time” but it doesn’t impair their ability to work. Indeed, it makes repetitive work livelier

According to Don Campbell, when the human body hears the even, one beat per second music, the heart rate and pulse relaxes to the beat. When they are in this relaxed, but alert state, their mind is able to concentrate more easily. Music corresponds and affects their physiological conditions. It taps into the emotional centers in the brain. Hence, appropriate and enjoyable music puts the employees in a good mood, and provides stimulation to increase their arousal to an optimal level. Consequently, the individual will perform better at work because of their positive mood and also, they will be more alert, attentive and vigilant.

It also stimulates the brain center that deals with thinking, analyzing, planning as well as enhancing one’s organizational skills. Besides, it influences motivation and enables employees to get into the zone where they are most productive. The employees tend to produce more quality work while listening to the piece of music and they finish their work faster.

Don Campbell notes music has a tremendous organizing quality to the brain. It has multi-layered influence on the individual, from modulating mood to alleviating stress. It improves our intelligence. Research has shown performance is significantly higher in the presence of soft music compared to loud music. This soft classical music expands thinking skills and thus helps the more complex ideas seems easier. Perhaps this is why George Eliot, the English novelist once quoted: “Life seems to go on without effort when I’m filled with music.”

Well-selected tracks played at the right time for the right tasks could well enhance work performance and group cohesion. Mozart music helps to hold attention during drowsy times of the day (especially in the afternoon after lunch) and helps the employees to stay awake and alert. This increases the attention levels, improves memory and expands thinking skills.

Music has multiple effects on people due to the different inner selves that may emerge. It can be a performance-enhancing aid or an annoying distraction. Stimuli that will induce a positive mood in one person might not do the same for another due to individual differences. Different tempos of music alter the mood and help with tasks that require different pace or energy. In light of this, peppy music can be energizing, gives inspiration to fuel the self and helps employees to get tasks done.

Music with faster tempos are great to boost brainpower. It makes people feel more energized. In an organization, it helps the employees to heighten their awareness and perform better at mental tasks. By way of this, productivity can be increased. In dealing with straight-forward mental tasks, music with fast beats can be used as ‘arousal’ and ‘energizers’ to pep up mood among employees, brighten up the working environment and make it a conducive one.

Music contributes to decision-making too. It brings creativity, personal expression, reflection and concentration, which facilitates a positive working experience. It sparks one’s imagination and inspires the creative parts of the brain. A moderate noise level could be the sweet spot for creativity. Ambient noise unfurls the creative mind and it does not put people off. When they struggle to process things they usually do, they resort to more creative approaches. In placing employees in a positive mood state, it helps to encourage personal reflection by stimulating the internal process and hence facilitating creativity.

Classical music selections (Chopin or Debussy) lead to better concentration, improved focus and facilitate discussion as well as communication among individuals. Some Zen-like relaxed music or instrumental musical pieces without lyrics can be played, especially towards the evening in order to ease a hard day’s work for the employees. Such sedative music can provide a soothing environment that put employees in a desirable state of mind. It facilitates cognitive processes too.

Listening to music can improve one’s mood. During festive seasons like Christmas, uplifting Christmas songs are great tools in feeding employees with a sense of joy and happiness. If such upbeat music is played in the background and employees are aware that they are listening to it to boost their mood, this can be the easiest way to make them happy. This will make them feel motivated and energetic. A Sunday Review by Tony Schwartz dated Feb 9, 2013 notes that when relaxed, a person’s brain can be more productive compared to when it is overwhelmed.

Background music promotes cognitive performance but it can also be a distracter as it takes attention away from tasks, which are particularly complex. Employees will be overly aroused or stimulated by the complexity of the task at hand. As such, their performance will decline, especially when they are learning new tasks or completing a challenging task, which actively demand attention. Inappropriate background music can be a hindrance. In such circumstances, allow periods of silence, try music with pristine sounds of nature or keep the volume low so it does not intrude; select familiar music and avoid music with dissonant sounds as they can be distracting.

Music's interconnection with society can be seen throughout history. Every known culture on the earth has music. Bone flutes, jaw harps and percussive instruments have already been used for more than 30,000 years ago to express qualities of the human experience. Music is thought to link all emotional, spiritual and physical elements of the universe. Music can be used to change a person’s mood, and has been found to cause physical responses in many people. Music can strengthen or weaken emotions from a particular event.

People perceive and respond to music in different ways. The level of musicianship of the performer and the listener, as well the manner in which a piece is performed, affects the “experience” of the music. An experienced and accomplished musician might hear and feel a piece of music in a completely different way than a non-musician or beginner.

Nevertheless, music is central to every one of us. It symbolizes a type of food for the brain. Ancient Greeks believed music's mathematic progressions and its harmonic qualities, ratios, and scales made for a better mind. Music has substantially evolved to become an important human activity as times goes. A quote from Laurence O'Donnell, the musician from Perth Sounds: “Music is so naturally united with us that we cannot be free from it even if we so desired.”

How much can music do for the human soul, psyche and the overall wellbeing? What can music do in terms of evoking emotions and influencing human behavior? Music-listening is a form of intervention – for relaxation, meditation, movement, drawing or reminiscence. Melodic sounds impact a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, which in turn releases the 'pleasure chemical' known as dopamine. Listening to music triggers the brain to 'reward' the body with dopamine in the same way someone is enjoying a scrumptious meal while smelling a pleasing scent or viewing a beautiful picture. The reward response makes them want more of whatever it is that gave them that happy feeling. Music-listening has also been suggested as a form of therapy, helping to reduce stress, soothe pain and energize the body.

In general, music influences humans both in good and bad ways. The effects could be instant and long lasting. Music is thought to link all of the emotional, spiritual, and physical elements of the universe. Petr Janata, the music psychologist from University of California indicated that human minds have internalized music. It is not necessary for human survival, yet something inside humans craves it.

The ubiquitous nature of music accessibility in modern society has actually raised important questions about the pervasive presence of music at workplace. Some people may thrive with music while some find it immensely debilitating. This consideration is important for managements that wish to optimize the output of their workforce.

Employees may pace throughout the workday as a result of music listening. Across a team or an entire organization, key organizational performance factors like increased productivity, reduced mistakes and errors, high morale and positive atmosphere and good customer service are always the major ingredients contributing towards employees’ overall well-being. This (well-being) is undoubtedly a key value embraced by the employees. From an organizational management viewpoint, wellbeing is a crucial factor as it inspires quality performance and desirable productivity, which will ultimately lead to inspiring business growth.

Therefore, although customers are always meant to be the wealth of an organization, employees in fact signify the greatest asset. In some scenarios, customers can turn out to be the worst enemy. However, good employees can attract “quality” customers. It is here that comes the role of the “music” to influence behavior, evoke emotions and build pleasant personalities among the employees.

The advent of technology nowadays has led to the proliferation of music in daily living and the workplace. Music has been found to have a profound effect on human behavior. Music changes mood, creates ambience and is used to support a variety of activities in everyday lives. Music, like all other art forms, is unique to human beings. It expresses emotion shared by all cultures, closes the gap between eras of time, and reflects attitudes as well as progression. The power of music carries a strong impact over many human functions. A quote by William Green is that: “Music is a friend of labor for it lightens the task by refreshing the nerves and spirit of the worker.” This has reflected in terms of how influential music is, in that it puts people in a better frame of mind and alters the surroundings to suit the mood at a time.

For instance, if someone is tired, upbeat music wakes him or her up; if they feel aroused, soft music calms them. Music is conceptualized as something positive for organizations. It can be a strategy for employees to privatize their auditory environment as it is potentially beneficial for monotonous work and it supports work-related activities.
Music-listening at workplace – what functions do music fulfill?

• Provide mental clarity and enable better decision-making
• Improve task performance and help in mood regulation
• Create ambience for workplace
• Create a sense of wellbeing through provision of frequent experiences of positive mood
• Feelings of connection and calmness
• Build rapport and maintain morale
• Relieve boredom / help time fly by and makes tedious working experience tolerable
• Help recharge/ unwind, and shift from a work frame of mind into leisure and relaxation

Literature Review

The size of Camy Bookland is relatively small. There is only a supervisor and her assistant (below represented as participants), both of whom are stationed at the bookstore throughout business hours. It is a well-designed bookstore, located on the second floor. The products sold are haply targeted at a niche market. Background music affects the behavior or attention of individuals in work environments. The purpose of the study is to uncover the profound impact that various genres of music can have on behavioral changes among employees, with different types of music (other than Mozart music) played.

The following options are present: -
Alternative Music/ Blues/ Calm Music/ Country Music/ Dance Music/ Hip Hop/ Indie Pop/ Jazz/ Latin Music/ New Age/ Opera/ Pop (Popular music)/ R&B. Both participants have selected Calm Music and Pop Music after consensus reached. On that account, these two sets of different music (pop music – Skyfall from Adele [http://youtube/DeumyOzKqgI] and calm music – Relax Daily Essence [http://youtu.be/aNJcr-ka2fA]) have been used to observe how task performance among participants can be influenced, and how individual’s music preference can affect the end result.

What is Pop Music?

Pop music is a genre of popular music, which originates, in its modern form, from the Western world during the 1950s and 1960s. David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop music as “a body of music which is distinguishable from popular, jazz, and folk music”. According to Pete Seeger, pop music is “professional music which draws upon both folk music and fine arts music”. Pop music may be used to describe a distinct genre, aimed at the youth market and often described as a softer alternative to rock and roll. The New Grove Dictionary Of Music and Musicians, the musicologist's ultimate reference resource, identifies popular music as the music after the industrialization of the 1800's, the music most in line with the tastes and interests of the urban middle class. ‘Pop music’, on the other hand, is a term used to describe music that evolved out of the rock ’n roll revolution of the mid-1950's, which has continued on a definable path up to today. Some pop songs have been shortlisted for both participants to pick from, whichever they feel most comfortable with. They have opted for “Skyfall” from Adele and agreed that the musical style of the song is accessible to the widest audience.

What is Calm Music?

Calm music is a kind of light, soothing anti-stress music, which is meant to relax. It can be used as mood music (with positive vibes), study music, work music, yoga music or some other background music. It can be a refreshing contrast to the busy and vibrant lifestyle of someone. The relaxing background music may enhance one’s mood, improve concentration, or bring peace to life. Some people may find relaxing instrumentals bolster their productivity and help reduce stress, such as having the music play in the background at work. Hence, this piece of music has been selected to see if keeping balance between work and relaxation can bring better task performance among employees. This collection is the relaxing, beautiful and peaceful instrumental music by relaxdaily music creator. It is the essence of more than 40 tracks created beginning from August 2011. The participants may experience the tunes actively for sheer enjoyment, or passively, as background music in the working environment, when they are in need of some calm and good energy.

Methodology

Music-listening in relation to work activities had a dual function: engage and/or escape from work-related activities. The following hypotheses have been examined:
Hypothesis 1: Pop music may aid in employees’ task performance better than Mozart’s music. Hypothesis 2: Calm music may aid in employees’ task performance better than Mozart’s music. To examine performance differences derived from different background music, the following dimensions have been examined by way of questionnaire.

1. State Positive Affect (herein defined as the extent to which an individual displays enthusiasm).
2. Quality of work
3. Time spent on task

Participants are exposed to said music (for 30 minutes each) while they are working. Thereafter, they are required to self-assess their work performance and behavioral response by answering the questions.
For Q 8a) – h) and Q 9a) – m): Participants were asked to rank the level of agreement based on the statements using a Likert Scale ranging from 1 to 5, where:
1          denotes strongly agree;
2          denotes agree;
3          denotes neutral;
4          denotes disagree; and
5          denotes strongly disagree
(The score has been attached in the appendix for easy reference.)

An observation was made whether there were any performance improvements or changes in behavioral responses facilitated by different sets of music:

• Quality of work and the overall work performance -- did the background music increase productivity or did it affect the overall quality of work adversely?
• Any significant improvements in cognitive tasks?
• More time spent on tasks than intended?
• What are the changes in terms of relaxation level through music?
• Did music affect morale or productivity at work or both?
• Was overall performance better during the Pop music/ Calm music compared to Mozart music on the same task?

Result:

The following responses are recorded in accordance with various music conditions:



Result Implication

a) When Pop Music was played:

1. The participants had never been exposed to pop music in their workplace. This increased the arousal.
2. Feelings towards pieces of complex work, which they did not particularly like.
3. Higher state positive mood responses can be seen.
4. Participants completed their tasks more quickly because the music enhanced their mood; it made the task seem more enjoyable, so they tended to get it done faster.
5. It seemed good when it accompanies low-demand tasks (routine tasks) such as data entry, word processing, web-surfing and emailing, as it helped participants relax, feel happier and less bored.
6. However, when the employees were dealing with cognitively demanding tasks (absorbing new information or learning a new task,), pop music distracted them.
7. Since this piece of pop music has never been played in their workplace, it became a topic of conversation between them.
8. Highly engaged in pop music, which resulted in lowered quality of work and more time spent on tasks than originally intended.

At first, the participants felt uplifted and the music caused them to be more supportive. However, since the lyrics were manipulated into pop music, the participants tended to pay attention to the lyrics and in a way, tried to understand the meaning the song wanted to convey. This thus distracted them from the cognitively demanding task at hand. As a result, productivity dropped. Though it helped them in getting through simple, repetitive, monotonous tasks and increased their output when under stimulation, it reduced their vigilance and negatively impacted mental concentration, especially when they needed to retain or process complex information. Sometimes, they seemed engage with their music more than their work and this hence impaired the communication between each other.

b) When Calm Music was played,

1. It transcended the workplace and acted as a form of escapism as it distracted employees from their own thoughts to relax them, and brought a sense of leisure into their working environment.
2. At the earlier stage, it appears to be soothing and relaxing; being in a state of relaxation can aid in stress-relieving and encourage creative thinking so participants can come up with better ideas.
3. Rhythm is an important aspect of music to study when looking at responses towards the music; as the relaxation ‘persists’, the participants started to lose focus as they were pulled into the pace of the music (which is rather slow); this resulted in a decline in terms of morale.
4. Productivity dropped as they were unable to the finish task within a stipulated timeframe.
5. It soothed the participants and gave them a relaxed focus to the extent it decreased their performance in cognitively demanding tasks.

Quality of work and time on task were not up to the mark with calm music. When participants were exposed to the music a little too long, they started to shift their focus and allowed their thoughts to stray elsewhere. This phenomenon has been explicitly articulated in terms of listening and hearing, the latter seen as essentially passive (since it is a form of reception), while the former involved concentration, focus or activity on part of the listener. In some scenarios, music could be understood as a way to manage internal interruption (thoughts); it could also be reckoned as a means by which leisure is allowed into work through associations, memories and daydreams. Most importantly, balance must be drawn between break and work. As a result, both Pop music and Calm music seemed to significantly decrease employees’ overall task performance.

c) When Mozart music was being played again, from the result it was derived:

1. It aided concentration and improved focus
2. It facilitated performance in complex cognitive task
3. It evoked positive feelings, which in turn increased performance on tasks requiring creative output.

The participants seemed to: -

1. Work more accurately
2. Complete their jobs more efficiently
3. Produce more quality work and finish their work faster due to enhanced mental clarity
4. Maximize their work potential

These findings have implications that the presence of Mozart’s music helps to regulate mood and increase quality of work as a whole. When music evokes a pleasant mood and an increased arousal state, participants perform better on their tasks. Thus, there is support for an increase in creative problem-solving and task performance by employees. It is highly probable that participants were already accustomed to working with Mozart’s music in the background. It helps to block out surrounding noise to ‘cleanse’ participants from unwanted thoughts, concentrate better on the task and therefore make fewer errors. Besides, Mozart’s music could be thought-motivating and inspiring, as the participants felt more inspired to carry out tasks. Consequently, Mozart’s music rather than the two sets of music proposed, is preferred during working hours by the participants as they performed significantly better in the presence of Mozart music.

Discussion/ Interpretation of Results

The influence of background music on work efficiency varies according to the type of music and work. From the result shown, we hypothesize that Mozart’s music, along with soothing and instrumental music, still benefit employees the most compared to pop music, which features wild rhythms, and calm music which is too slow in pace. The likelihood of pop music and calm music affecting the participants’ overall work inefficiency is fairly high. Pop music, in particular, functions more in entertainment.

It can be a source of negative distraction, as it did not fulfill music’s potential to raise critical consciousness. The lyrics in a well-known language and the familiarity could be distracting factors as it evokes memories and emotions. Comparatively, Mozart music provides a 'controlled distraction', which is helpful to the employees in speeding up work as it prompts them to force their brain into gear and thus prevent minds from “wandering off”.
Since the nature of the auditory distraction can also be factors that mediate task performance, the new music (especially with lyrics) can cause the brain to focus more on the music than on a person’s work. If employees hear a new song and like it, dopamine levels increase and this causes them to lose interest in their work because is relatively less engaging than new song. Attention is drawn to the music and thus affects the ability to focus on work, causing productivity to plummet.

Vocal music affects task performance negatively as it has a higher amount of information-load than instrumental music. As such, something repetitive without comprehensible words, such as Canon in D Major by J. Pachelbel [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Af372EQLck&feature=youtube_gdata_player], usually works best. On top of that, classical or instrumental music can enhance mental acuity more than music with lyrics. It provides “clarity of thought” and aids the thinking process so one can concentrate on mundane tasks. Such listening is also perceived to benefit thought processes involved in complex tasks. So when someone needs to focus on the task at hand, these choices of music would be good.

Overall, it depends on the nature and complexity of the task that the employees are doing. If they are working on something that does not require much attention, pop music can be a great motivator to help them get the job done; calm music, on the other hand, helps to lower stress levels through the improvement of relaxation and pleasant mood. When someone is happier, they will be more efficient and make fewer mistakes. On the contrary, if the work requires full concentration, a light classical like Mozart music can often work better (Mozart Effect).

Music isn’t beneficial for the employees in every situation. Sometimes it can divert some of their mental resources away from tasks (especially cognitively demanding tasks) at hand. Therefore, a decent music selection is very important in determining whether it hampers the job performance or bolsters productivity. The right music creates an appropriate mood and arousal level for the activity to be undertaken, leading to more successful outcomes which in turn helps to maintain self-esteem and enhance well-being.

Analysis/ Rationale

According to the article ‘What happens to your brain under the influence of music filed to Neuroscience’ on 9 July 2011 by Alasdair Wilkins, the instrumental music in particular lends itself to increased visualization and perception of non-verbal information in the brain. Although lyrics may be pleasant to listen to, songs with words tend to form specific pictures in our brain and engage the language centres in the human brain which can inhibit free and creative thought processes that lend themselves to problem solving as well as non-verbal and extra-sensory information gathering. Furthermore, the language centres are in the brain’s left hemisphere, which is the side of the brain that focuses on small areas of perception and tasks. The non-verbal (instrumental) right hemisphere, in contrast, looks at the big picture and perceives globally, which makes it more favorable for limitless thinking and perception.

It is acknowledged that Mozart’s music helps concentration and work efficiency the best. It enhances mental performance more than music with lyrics. The harmonies of Mozart music rewire the brain, creating patterns of neural activity at the confluence of emotion and memory that strengthen with each new melody. This helps the releases of neurons in the brain, which cause the body to relax (Mozart Effect).

Besides that, it is suggested that internal arousal levels optimal for particular tasks vary according to task difficulty (Yerkes and Dodson, 1908). The more complex the task, the lower the optimal arousal level. Therefore, where work is simple and repetitive, music makes rote or routine tasks (such as filing papers and data entry) less boring and more enjoyable. Where tasks are complex, both pop and calm music can hamper job performance. Mozart’s music, on the other hand, has appeared to elicit a wide range of responses in terms of increased insight, learning, creativity as well as problem-solving through pleasant stimulation of the brain.

According to the article ‘The Power of Music on Memory and Learning’ published on 4th May 2011 by Chris Hughes in Music, Train Your Brain, Mozart's music and baroque music at a 60 beats per minute pattern, activate the left and right parts of the brain. The simultaneous activation maximizes learning and retention of information. The information being taken in by an individual activates the left side of the brain while music activates the right side of the brain. Hence, activities that engage both sides of the brain at the same time increases processing of information in the brain. Besides that, the mathematical rhythms of Mozart’s musical pieces help to enhance mental clarity as well as learning skills.

Furthermore, this study was replicated with additional measures of mood and arousal based on information from previous findings, stating that very high or low levels of arousal or anxiety inhibit cognitive performance and it was found additionally that positive mood leads to improvement when carrying out problem-solving tasks (Thompson et al., 2001). Evaluation of ideas is essential when it deals with problem-solving. A positive mood allows the individual to better analyze, develop and refine possible ideas, and hence transform them into promising solutions which are appropriate, useful and workable.

The findings revealed that the ‘Mozart effect’ was indeed replicated as participants who listened to the Mozart sonata performed significantly better in task performance. The ‘effect’ was attributed to individual differences in arousal and mood. That is, the participants listening to Mozart scored significantly higher on positive mood and arousal measures, lower on a negative affect measure, and higher on an enjoyment measure. The researchers therefore concluded that enjoyable stimuli induce positive affect and heightened arousal and, that in turn leads to moderate improvements in task performance.

Music, such as that written by Mozart, with a standard 4/4 meter and tempo that mimics the heart rate—between 60-80 bmp, has been found to have psychological as well as physical effects (Chang, Chen, & Huang, 2008; Trappe, 2012). Such music, having a flowing, lyrical melody, combined with a simple harmony with soft tonal color and easy rhythm, promotes a reduction of heart rate and blood pressure as well as induces relaxation in human (Chang, et al., 2008). This eventually helps the individual to remain calm or positive when dealing with a stressful situation.

On top of that, such music help to tune out distractions – the way of managing interruptions was described as a strategy for coping with stress through having control over the auditory environment. This is actually consistent with North & Hargreaves (2008) and Warr 1999)’s reports that suggests noise at work can negatively impact both physical and psychological wellbeing.

Responses to music are easy to detect in the human body. Classical music from the baroque period causes the heart beat and pulse rate to relax to the beat of the music. As the body becomes relaxed and alert, the mind is able to concentrate more easily. Furthermore, according to Dr. Neil Nedley, baroque music decreases blood pressure and enhances the ability to learn.

Limitation

The validity of the study can be challenged due to the following factors:

1. External hindrances
2. Individual musical preferences
3. Familiarity of the song / music
4. Low proficiency level in English resulting in inaccuracy of the findings (The way the participants answered the questionnaire and the way they expressed themselves verbally sometimes contradicts each other)

According to ‘Music, Emotion and the Brain’ by Geetanjali Vaidy, the tremendous ability of music in terms of affecting and manipulating emotions as well as the brain is undeniable, and yet largely inexplicable. Very few researches have gone into the mechanism behind the power of music in terms of physically influence the brain until recently, and even now very little is known about the neurological effects of music.

There are several limitations to this study, many of which are due to time constraints, leading to a dissertation rather than extra clinical work being undertaken. Though interviews would have been more appropriate for the dissertation so as to gain more information on the individual perspectives of the participants (which would have been more significant in the phenomenological aspect), this was not possible due to a lack of participant response in the allotted time.

Human beings respond to music in a variety of different ways. Responses can be physiological, motor, intellectual, aesthetic, emotional, or related to changes in mood or arousal. Generally, music influences physiological arousal in the expected direction, that is: exciting music leads to increased arousal while calming music leads to the reverse. However, the implications relating to physiological responses to specific elements of background music and perceived musical experience are still emerging.

Due to time constraints and lack of depth since there were only two participants involved, this is just a cursory study. The participants may find the same music conducive in one work situation and distracting in another due to different states of mind at different times. Therefore, in order to derive a more accurate result, future studies can be carried out in different work situations and in different states of mind in order to minimize ambiguity.

Besides that, the results obtained – as compared to Mozart’s music – in terms of background music with lyrics, seemed to negatively impact the employees’ work performance. However, the identification of factors that cause background music to positively influence work performance and otherwise, still requires further study.

Sometimes, music’s influence on the listener has more to do with individual preference rather than the type of music. Specific personality types predispose an individual’s performance under certain music conditions. Also, different musical tastes between the supervisor and assistant can cause difficulty in predicting the exact effects of any particular piece on the individual. Given these contradictory findings, a detailed exploration of participant preference for background music would be helpful in explaining the differences found in the studies.

The result yielded can be subjective due to individual differences in arousal affect and cognitive task performance in the presence of music. A great deal still depends on the participant’s personality. Therefore, it may be useful to investigate more detailed contexts consisting of particular factor combinations.

Future studies of the influence of background music in work environments should utilize more attention-testing tools and a larger participant sample in order to examine the effects of additional music types and employees’ fondness for a wider variety of music so more diversified results can be anticipated.

Music-listening is not always viewed as appropriate; it depends on the nature of the organization – the rules on appropriateness appear subjective. Likability of a task, level of perceived distraction, type of music listened to and music tempo / loudness will contribute to the accuracy of the result. A holistic approach, in order to examine the postulation of music-listening practices and experiences among a wide variety of employees at different workplaces, would be constructive.

After all, it would be hard to generalize the findings for the entire human race. The relationship between the music preference and listening behavior/functions can further be investigated. Perhaps future research can explore more on medical and neuropsychology-driven perspectives. For example, physiological indices of stress (for example, cortisol or other hormones) can be measured in order to further triangulate the research methods. Since music affects the amplitude and frequency of brain waves, an electro-encephalogram can be applied in order to accurately examine these areas. This will contribute to gaining further insight on the progress and pitfalls within this area of research.

Recommendation

Background music is widely used in locations such as hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, departmental stores, bookstores, etc. It can be experienced as beneficial (for concentration and wellbeing) or negative (distracting and irritating).

Music stimulates boring and tiresome tasks (both mentally in terms of concentration and physically in terms of bodily energy), creation of different atmospheres and formation of identity. It reminds us of good experiences and provides us with topics for conversations. In some conditions, music actually improves task performance, while in other situations music makes performance worse. Therefore, it’s the type of music and tasks involved that determine whether music’s role is an assistant or a hindrance.

Music creates breaks in between periods of work that helps to cleanse the mind. It is not good to always be thinking about work, despite what some might say about the level of effort and commitment essential for career / business success. That said, relaxation in the midst of stressful situations can help someone go further.

Music is versatile in that it helps to make a task less tedious and reinforces a particular mood state. Employees can complete their tasks quicker and come up with more ideas when music puts them in better moods. This is important as when someone is in a negative mood, they may keep a narrow focus of attention, thus limiting creativity.

People’s minds tend to wander but music somehow brings them back to the present moment. Care can be improved through upbeat music like Four Season (Spring) by Vivaldi, with it’s increased tempo. This is especially applicable to employees who are feeling sluggish and in need of more energy at peak fatigue times (back from lunch / towards the evening or during the fasting month).

Should music-listening be encouraged in the workplace? How does it affect employees? How music be used to produce the best effect in the workplace? In fact, not everyone likes music while they work. Some may even be irritated by it. Therefore, the right music is important as it can work wonders in task performance, especially where work is mundane and monotonous. The multidimensionality of workplace music-listening is also of interest to the developer’s office, designer’s office, advertising company, programming company, early learning centre, etc. Employees are encouraged to use music avidly in order to be more creative and stimulated.

Work Songs

Decent music at the workplace is important as it enhances the enjoyment of one’s time working, their learning abilities, and increases positive feelings and concentration levels to help the employees engage more in tasks. Different functions from music at different times suggest that situational factors are likely to play a mediating role juggling between music-listening and work outcomes.

Given that music can be the antidote to stress, some light classical music or instrumental music would be good in providing temporary escape from work, especially when the employee is overstressed by the load of work. It distracts them from any discomfort they are experiencing. This ultimately addresses the wellbeing-related aspects of music-listening in establishing positive mood.

The use of headphones

Employees may be afraid that their preferred music type is not the musical choice of others, desiring not to disturb others or appear unprofessional in front of clients. Hence, headphones are used (bear in mind that there should be a sense of control over one’s surroundings and emotions; the volume has to appropriate so the sound would not be invasive), especially in open plan offices where the presence of background noise can be a particular problem in that it hampers performance and job satisfaction. Headphones can be good to replace external interruptions with familiar sounds chosen by the individual.

Where personalized listening is allowed, it facilitates the individualized selection of music. Hence, significant improvements in performance, enhanced morale and greater commitment can be anticipated. Playing one’s favorite music helps to lift their mood and increase arousal – some employees may look to listening to music when they find themselves losing their focus. They can plug in their earphones to escape from an environment that is too noisy; or if it is too quiet, music makes a job livelier.

In some circumstances, some might think that wearing headphones at work are not as fully engaged at their tasks because they may block out important interactions. Thus, it is best to set limits as wearing headphones for an entire shift can be perceived as discourteous.

Conclusion

Dr. Lesiuk, an assistant professor in the music therapy program at the University of Miami has identified significant functions of music embracing inspiration, concentration, positive distraction and stress-relief. The functions appear to be related to each other, which is why despite inconclusive results, general acceptance of the facilitative function of music in task performance is common.

People perceive and respond to music in different ways. The level of musicianship of a performer and an ordinary listener, and the manner in which a piece is performed, affects the others’ "experience" of music too. An experienced and accomplished musician might hear and feel a piece of music in a profoundly different way than a non-musician or beginner. This is why two accounts of the same piece of music can appear to be contradict each other.

Background music has been used widely in numerous kinds of work environments. Individuals are more energized and more alert through perceiving and physically responding to music-listening. This synchrony with the music assists in pacing their workday. However, it is always a moot point for the majority of people, on whether music-listening should be practiced at workplace or not.

Music is often seen as an inspiration to the artistic side of the brain and inspires a different way of looking at things. It provides a pacemaker to doing repetitive work. As such, whether it is an aid or hindrance, the individuals’ role in the organization does matter.

Furthermore, the visual appearance of music-listening may influence business image. Pop music or calm music at work could contradict a professional image, symbolizing a lack of weight in the eyes of customers. It could hardly be deemed a decent image for a bookstore like Camy Bookland to portray. In this case, Mozart’s music would be appropriate. Classical music is always perceived to evoke class and sophistication in the eyes of public (Charles S. Areni and David Kim, 1993). This explains why patrons tend to spend more time in a wine store when classical music is played in the background. By and large, understanding the helpful link between music's effect on the mind is important. We could then utilize the results to enact better habits in working lives.

Appendix A

The eras of music history started with the Medieval Age, followed by the Renaissance Period, Baroque Period, Classical Period, Romantic Era and lastly, the 20th Century. The diagram below illustrates this: -



The Oxford Universal Dictionary defines music as ‘one of the fine arts which is concerned with the combination of sounds with a view to beauty of form and the expression of thought or feeling.’ On the other hand, Jules Combarieu, the French music scholar, has integrated the essence of music as ‘the art of thinking with sounds’. The definition varies as there is no universal concept of music, since music highly depends on personality and background, be it historically, culturally, socially or educationally. The mystical power of music is not fathomable. It wields the human mind. It is a universal language that has, and will continue to bridge people and cultures all over the world for centuries. Music improves performance on tasks to achieve optimal levels of attention and concentration. Beside that, it stimulates intellectual skill and creativity.

Reference: Music History 102- a Guide to Western Composers and their music Designed, compiled and created by Robert Sherrane

Appendix B

Click here to view / download

 

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