Music impacts how we think, feel, and act. It can get your adrenaline pumping for the gym, or give you the perfect tune to drive to, or just calm you down after a stressful day at work. Music messes with your brainwaves, and not in a bad way.

For writers like us, certain kinds of music fuels our creativity, while some are pure distractions. But for the most part, it can boost productivity if you do it right. Here's how you can use music to work smarter.

First, let's understand how music works with you. In his TED talk, Julian Treasure, founder of The Sound Agency, a U.K.-based consulting firm that helps brands develop and use sound effectively outlined the four main ways sound impacts you:

Physiologically:
Your body functions react to sound. For example, if you hear a siren in the background of a song, stress hormones like cortisol are released into your bloodstream, while listening to waves gently rolling ashore brings your body a sense of calm. Treasure says this happens because ocean waves are about 12 beats per minute, close to your resting breathing rate.

Psychologically:
The effect of sound on our emotional state can be traced back through thousands of years of evolution. Different tones can make us feel happy or sad. Treasure explains how the sound of birds chirping in the morning makes you feel reassured, because birds indicate a safe environment.

Cognitively:
Sound can impact the way you process information. It's nearly impossible to focus on two different auditory sources at one time because we're bad at multitasking when it comes to processing sound - which is why open-plan offices can actually drop your productivity by 66 percent.

Behaviorally:
Sound is so powerful it can cause an immediate physical reaction. For example if someone screams in your ear, you'll flinch. Or if a car honks at you, you'll jump away (away from the car, hopefully).

Now how can you harness the power of music to work efficiently?

For simple tasks, listen to music you like:
A study published in the Journal of Music Therapy noted that listening to your favorite type of music lowers your perception of tension, especially when you're doing a simple task. The easier you think the task is, the more music can help you.

This is exactly what researchers found when they looked at the accuracy of experienced surgeons while listening to music. Surgeons were most efficient and accurate when music they liked was playing in the background, according to the study. They even performed better when music they didn't like was playing in the background than they did when there was no music at all.

Similar findings surfaced for monotonous tasks - like working on an assembly line or copying data into an Excel spreadsheet. When it comes to activities that are simple or boring, music you like can put you in a positive state of mind, and increase your quality of work.

For creative tasks, listen to upbeat tunes:
If you're looking to ignite creativity, go for songs in the range of 50-80 beats per minute.

Dr. Emma Gray, of The British CBT and Counselling Service, found that this tempo is ideal for creative tasks because it helps induce an "alpha state" where your mind becomes calm and alert, and concentration is heightened.

Alpha waves have also been associated with the "eureka moment," which can be triggered when you enter a relaxed-yet-focused state of mind.

Whichever music works for you when performing monotonous tasks or to spark creativity, listening to music will improve your state of mind. It really boils down to you being happy and energized, thus performing better at work. Give it a try!


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