The Effect of Music on the Human Body and Mind
The present study was designed to determine if there is a
correlation between listening to music while studying and a better grade point average
(GPA) for college students at Liberty University. The author's hypothesis is that
listening to music while studying will show a positive correlation with higher GP As.
The survey was distributed on the campus of Liberty University. All surveys
were taken voluntarily and without recompense. Surveys were distributed within several
classes, including the concert band, a large chemistry class containing mostly biology and
health sciences majors, and a statistics in psychology class. This contributed to a higher
concentration of music, biology, health, and psychology majors. Other surveys were
distributed in common areas such as the computer lab and dining hall and dormitories,
where a variety of students could be found. Students of every academic standing (i.e.
freshman, sophomore, etc.) and a wide variety of ages were represented, although most
were concentrated in the average age range of college students at Liberty University.
The ratio of those who listen to music while studying to those who do not was greater than hypothesized. Over half of students surveyed listened to music, with a ratio of 55% to 45%. Most students reported listening to many types of music while they study while some listed only one or two. The most frequent type of music to listen to while studying was, somewhat surprisingly, classical with 23% of participants. Following classical was rock with 20% of participants. Alternative took 19%; jazz had 15%; hip-hop/R&B and country music tied with 14% each; gospel had 10%; easy listening took 8%; rap finished last with 7%.
These results point to several generalizations. Listening to most kinds of music while studying does not seem to have a large effect on performance in classes. However, listening to rap and hip-hop/R&B did show a negative effect on grades. If any music types were to have a positive effect, they might include classical, easy listening, and rock.