Listening to Music May Not Boost Creativity

The conventional wisdom that listening to music will boost creativity has been challenged by a new research finding which says the opposite is true.

A study done by psychologists at the University of Central Lancashire, Lancaster University and University of Gavle in Sweden found that performance in a verbal insight problem was significantly impaired when the subjects were exposed to instrumental music, familiar lyrics with music and background score with unfamiliar lyrics. According to Dr Neil McLatchie of Lancaster University, music might be disrupting verbal working memory. On the other hand, exposure to library noise or background noise conditions did not have any adverse impact on test performance. The task involved finding a common word that connects the words dial, flower and dress.

Children have a tendency to listen to music and learn lessons or involve in writing. It is not yet clear whether combining studies with music may lower comprehensive abilities and hence the ability to recall the answers in the examination.

Source: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/-how-listening-to-music-significantly-impairs-creativity