If you’re like me, study time doesn’t come easy. In fact, when I do have a chance to study it seems that there are always distractions the are lurking in the background just waiting to pop-up a window, chime-in via SMS, buzz via email, chirp via twitter and the list goes on, and on, and on. Since your time is valuable you obviously want to get the most out of your study time. Since there are literally millions of recommendations I could make for studying after being an instructor for the past 9 years today I will leave you with just 1 tip to make your study time more effective. Todays study tip is…Music. But not just any music. Let me explain.

Your Brain on Sound

Dr. Jeffrey D. Thompson of the Center for Neuroacoustic Research says:

“evidence has shown physical and psychological responses using electronically disguised nature sounds“

Think about all the CD’s you can buy at a store that are said to help you sleep. The have ocean sounds, the sound or rain, wind in the forest, and so on. The idea behind them is that you get a soothing feeling when you listen to them and thus you can fall asleep.

But lets take that to another level. Lets play with the octave and the speed using various filters, throw in specific frequencies, and Dr. Thompson says you can target states of the brain that opens the subconscious mind. That being the case, could you target the part of the brain that causes one to retain information. Could you possibly learn by studying while listening to music, or at least certain sounds?

Test Bed

While I’m no Neuroacoustic Surgeon, or anyone that knows how the brain works for that matter, I had to try this for myself. I did this about a year and a half ago. I bought the Album, Memory Learning and then later I purchased Music for Brainwave Massage 2.0. I then listened to these in a loop while working on my labs or reading up on varioius technologies.

My Take

While I dont have a real way to confirm that what I studied while listening to these CD’s was retained any better than what I studies without them I do know that having the ambient noise while reading or labbing made me feel more comfortable, and that’s most likely what made the material stick.

I think the work that Dr. Thompson is doing is fascinating and I’ve made it a part of my everyday study routine. If you decide to pick up one of these albums I believe you can get them i iTunes as well, but I am not affiliated with Dr. Thompson or the Center for Neuroacoustic Research, and I do not take any benefit from my recommendation.

Happy Labbing!