Ayala HerbertAustralian scientists have learned that listening to classical music and white noise does not improve abilities related to the processing of contradictory information. And white noise even worsens them.
Earlier studies have shown that classical music can have a positive effect on people’s ability to process conflicting information. Neuroscientists believe that listening to it is useful in alleviating various neuropsychological disorders. Despite this, the issue remains poorly understood. Scientists from Monash University (Australia) conducted their own study on this issue, the results of which were published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.
The work involved 67 students who were asked to take two different tests – color and verbal. This was done under different conditions – with classical music playing in the background, with white noise and in silence. The interval between the tests was several days.
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After the tests, scientists analyzed the results of cognitive skills during the tests. It turned out that neither music nor white noise increased the level of cognitive abilities of the participants, and the latter, like other stressors, even worsened it. At least, this applied to the processing of contradictory stimuli. The analysis of the literature showed that classical music can influence the improvement of some cognitive abilities not related to the processing of contradictory information, but definitely not white noise
