Many students listen to music to focus and stay motivated while they study – but it doesn’t always help

If students choose to listen to music while studying, they should consider music that is less distracting – and save high-energy playlists for when they don’t need to focus.

By: Bridget K. Daleiden, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 29, 2026

Words: 1,129

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 3 days ago

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By Bridget K. Daleiden, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Walk into any college library and you will likely see students wearing headphones and listening to music.

The idea that music can improve learning has been around for decades. The “Mozart Effect,” is the pop psychology myth, first hypothesized in a 1993 paper, that listening to classical music can help people retain and process new information.

As an educational psychologist who studies …

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