It’s music to ears of workers

IF YOU work in an office, you know the universal signal for “do not disturb” is a pair of very obvious headphones positioned firmly on the ears of the wearer.

But rather than being incredibly anti- social, maybe that guy in the corner with the headphones that seem to be surgically attached is actually on to something.

“Listening to our favourite music tends to increase our emotional valence ( positivity), which can help boost work performance,” said Dr Genevieve Dingle, senior lecturer in clinical psychology at the University of Queensland.

“If the music increases mental arousal it may also help to keep us motivated for longer on relatively routine or familiar work tasks.”

According to research conducted by the University of Miami, those who listened to music completed tasks more quickly and had better ideas than those who didn’t overall.

But before you go cranking up that death metal playlist, researchers have found the type of music we listen to at work can either have a positive or negative effect on our work performance. Several studies have shown that popular music interferes with reading comprehension and information processing while classical music can increase concentration.

In 2016, a study by researchers at New York’s Cornell University found playing happy, upbeat music in a work environment increased co- operation between team members and improved group decision- making.

But Dr Dingle said not everyone responds the same way to the same music so personal taste also comes into play.

“Headphones allow for individual selection of music that achieves the right valence and arousal for that listener and according to the work task they are engaged in, so that is likely to be more effective than music played for the whole office or workplace,” she said.