The results are largely mixed, and highly dependent on the person and environment.
According to a new study published by Music Biz and AudienceNet, on average, Americans listen to 151 minutes of music each day.
Now, a separate study has revealed where most Americans listen to music – at work. And, music listening may either boost your productivity at your job or put a damper on it.
Surveying over 1,000 people in the US aged 18 and older, Accountemps, a staffing firm, found 85% of workers said they enjoyed listening to music while at work. 15% didn’t.
Breaking down the numbers by age group, 95% of 18-34 listened to music on the job. Just 84% of people aged 35-54 do so, and 66% of people aged 55 and older enjoy music at work.
39% of all respondents said they became much more productive in the workplace. 32% felt somewhat more productive.
Yet, not everyone shares the same sentiment.
6% felt somewhat unproductive. 1% felt listening to music made them unproductive. And 22% said music at the workplace doesn’t really have any impact on their jobs.
Also, don’t expect every job in America to allow employees to freely listen to music.
44% said their workplaces allowed them to enjoy music without any restrictions. 38% said their employers had placed restrictions, including having employees wear headphones to do so. 9% said their workplaces don’t allow it. And, the rest didn’t know whether or not they could listen to music.
So, what music motivates you?
Among those who said music helps them at work, most workers said pop made them more productive.
Rock came in second, followed by country, alternative, classical, hip-hop/rap, jazz, blues, heavy metal, and other genres.
Self-reporting is a notoriously unreliable method of research…
A better study would independently measure productivity while subjects listened to different types of music, or no music.
Also, surely it depends on the type of work begin done also?
Some work might benefit from music, and other work might suffer.