Can listening to music help your brain work better? Psychiatrist explains

Many of us work and study with music playing in the background. A doctor explains whether it truly sharpens the brain or mainly lifts mood, motivation and emotional state

From study playlists to focus music at work, music is frequently used as a tool for focus, calm or motivation. But does listening to it genuinely enhance cognitive function, or does it mainly influence mood and attention in the moment?

 

According to Dr Astik Joshi, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist at Veda Child & Adolescent Developmental-Behavioural Clinic, Delhi, cognition includes how we grasp information, retain it, recall it later and understand its consequences. Attention, memory, processing speed and executive functions all sit under this umbrella.

 

“When we listen to music, the brain doesn’t switch on one neat ‘music centre’. Instead, the whole brain gets involved, with certain types of music stimulating certain regions more than others. Whether this leads to any cognitive ‘boost’ depends heavily on two things: the listener’s cognitive state at that moment and the kind of music being played,” he explains. 

 

Is there scientific evidence that music improves cognition? 

Despite popular belief, music therapy and music listening have not been validated as reliable cognitive-enhancing tools in medical literature. Dr Joshi stresses that robust randomised controlled trials, the gold standard of evidence, are limited. Many studies show small, short-lived effects that vary by context and individual. 

Does listening to music actually make you smarter? 

There is no credible evidence that simply listening to music increases intelligence or cognitive capacity. The much-talked-about “Mozart effect” has not stood up well to scientific scrutiny.

 

Music can lift mood, increase alertness and improve motivation. When you feel better, you may perform better for a while. That is not the same thing as becoming smarter.

 

According to Dr Joshi, biological factors, psychological makeup, personal history with music, age and even social context all influence how music affects someone. What calms one person may overstimulate another. Familiar music may soothe; unfamiliar or lyrical music may distract.

 

“There is no universal ‘brain-boosting playlist’. The effect is personal and situational, not guaranteed,” he says. 

Can music help with some tasks but hinder others? 

Dr Joshi explains that music can be helpful during repetitive or low-demand tasks by providing sensory engagement and reducing overthinking. For complex problem-solving, reading comprehension or tasks that require deep focus, music, especially with lyrics, can interfere rather than help.

 

He says if the task already demands heavy cognitive effort, silence often works better. 

Is learning or making music different from just listening to it? 

Being trained in music adds a skill set. Over time, according to Dr Joshi, musicians may develop alternative ways of processing information and expressing emotions. In this case, music becomes a tool, not just something in the background.

 

That said, even here, enhanced cognition in a clinical or medical sense is not formally approved or established. 

Can music help people with dementia, ADHD or after a stroke? 

Music listening or music-based therapies are not recommended as primary treatments for any neuropsychiatric disorder. They may be used as supportive, non-medical, off-label additions, but never as substitutes for evidence-based care.

 

Claims that music can meaningfully enhance cognition in cognitively impaired individuals are not medically approved. “At best it may act as a supportive non-medical and off-label treatment method that could be added to medically approved treatments,” Dr Joshi says. 

How should you actually use music in daily life? 

“Based on the context and individual preferences, music can be used to stabilise the mood, regulate emotions and decrease feelings of anxiety at the time. In cases where there is significant mood instability, emotional dysregulation and anxious distress that is impairing one’s learning, productivity and overall functioning, music may provide temporary relief from these symptoms by means of distraction through sensory input and engagement of the brain and mind in a desirable activity,” explains Dr Joshi.

 

Music, then, can be a powerful emotional tool when stress is blocking learning or productivity. Used thoughtfully, it can support wellbeing. However, it is not a cognitive shortcut. It will not make you smarter, cure disorders or replace proper treatment. 

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This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.