Chill-Hop Best Study Companion
December 21, 2018
While listening to music while studying is popular among students, the music they choose can actually be more harmful than good. I believe that the music most conducive to staying is chill-hop, the lyric-less music with a hip-hop base.
Countless studies highlight the benefits of music listening, including memory improvement, stress reduction, and enhanced math skills. But as the University of Maryland Medical Center concluded, listening to soothing music “can decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety levels in heart patients.”
Listening to music with lyrics on the other hand, can interrupt concentration in studying, according to the University of Phoenix. In fact, researchers found that listening to musical lyrics and doing school work at the same time decreases IQ by 10 points.
Students should consider choosing music that is relaxing and instrumental. This is the “Mozart Effect,” the idea that classical music aids in short-term memory. According to Griffith University, kids who spend their formative years listening to classical composers show improved memory retention immediately and later in life.
However, I understand that not everyone likes the idea of listening to Mozart, Bach or Beethoven. That’s why chill pop is the perfect compromise: it combines 2 genres– jazz and hip-hop– to create a relaxed yet interesting alternative to traditional instrumental music.
A recent survey conducted in my Human Social Development class showed that phone distractions slowed students down in completing their homework. Assuming most students will not likely give up their devices altogether, they should consider using them to listen to chill-hop.
