I still have the fridge magnet one of our teenage foster children gave me which proclaimed: ‘Consult a teenager while they still know everything!’ It made me smile at the time – but on one issue, at least, I am now having to admit that they were probably right and I was wrong.
Research that was published last month showed that upbeat instrumental music (the sort that some teens listen to while they are doing their homework – and insist that it helps them to concentrate) appears to boost cognitive functioning – so increasing capacity for focus and output, along with the speed at which the listener can work. Apparently, vocals or the sort of soothing music that I would have imagined might help, don’t impact in the same way. It has to be instrumental tracks with strong rhythms and simple melodies.
Those participants in the research who listened to such music completed tests about 7% faster than those who listened to typical pop songs, soothing music, or just background noise. And they were just as accurate. They also reported an improvement in mood; the senior author of the study, Pablo Ripolles, of New York University, stated, ‘There was a correlation between how much their mood improved and how fast they were providing correct answers.’ The researchers considered that the key to the music’s impact lay in its inherent capacity to get the participant tapping their foot or nodding their head.
The research concluded that music is most effective for cognitive performance when it both enhances mood and makes people feel more energised. Thus music that makes your teenager feel good has the potential to improve his or her cognitive state.
So next time you are on the receiving end of a teenage pronouncement, it could just be possible that they are once again ahead of the research – and right!
