Music listening practices in workplace settings in the UK:

an exploratory survey of office-based settings

Anneli Beronius Haake
Department of Music
University of Sheffield, U.K.
mup04@sheffield.ac.uk

ABSTRACT
Recent research into good business practice suggests that
well-being is of primary importance to employers and employees today. When looking at the quality of employee
health in workplaces, it is evident that this is not always the
situation: stress, burn-out, job dissatisfaction, anxiety and
depression are growing problems in many organisations. A
small number of studies have begun to explore the influence of music on well-being at work following evidence
that music listening can enhance productivity and morale,
and that people use music listening to manage their wellbeing in daily life. This study explores how music listening
is used at work, and its effects on work performance and
subjective well-being. An empirical study was conducted to
further the understanding of music listening practices in
workplace settings. A survey with 295 respondents was
used to gather quantitative and qualitative data on occupation, perceived workplace stress, the amount and type of
music listening during a working week, the listening technologies employed, the amount of control the respondent
had over music in their workplace, the tasks performed
concurrently with music listening, and the perceived functions that music listening had for the respondent. This research sheds light on whether, and how, listening technologies are incorporated into workplaces. It also reveals
the kinds of tasks that music listening accompanies, and the
roles that employees perceive music listening to have for
them.

Keywords
Work, music listening, well-being

Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Music Perception &

Cognition (ICMPC9). 2006 The Society for Music Perception & Cognition (SMPC) and European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of
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INTRODUCTION
Work-related stress is related to ill-health (Donald et al.,
2005; Perrew et al., 2002; Smith, 2001) and Health and
Safety Executive (HSE) claim that one in five employees
are stressed at work (HSE, 2006). Stress in the workplace
can also reduce productivity, in particular when stress
manifests itself as a reduction in psychological well-being
(Donald et al., 2005). Much of the research into general
health has been occupied with understanding how people
develop illnesses, as opposed to how people maintain their
health (Ruud, 1997), but there is a growing body of research into well-being and quality of life which has begun
to address this aspect of health (ibid; Diener & Seligman,
2002; Fredrickson, 2000; Robinson, 2000). Studies of selfreported psychological well-being, or subjective wellbeing, have shown that positive emotional experiences are
a key ingredient for evaluations of well-being (Diener &
Lucas, 2000). If people experience positive emotions more
often, they are more likely to report higher subjective wellbeing. In addition, recent emotional experiences matter
more than events in the past, suggesting that there is a synergy between frequency and recency of positive emotional
experience and subjective well-being (Suh, Diener and
Fujita, 1996).
Recent studies of self-selected music listening in daily life
report that functions of music listening often relate to mood
regulating strategies (DeNora, 2000; North, Hargreaves &
Hargreaves, 2004; Sloboda & ONeill, 2001; Thayer,
Newman, & McClain, 1994). It has also been suggested
that there is an untapped potential for improving public
health by employing health-promoting natural and cultural
activities, and that music listening can be used as a way of
empowering peoples lives (Batt-Rawden, DeNora &
Ruud, 2005, p. 121). It is possible for people to regulate
mood on a daily basis wherever they are due to the development of small and mobile music listening devices (Hargreaves & North, 1999; Bull, 2005), as well as music listening capacities via the internet. This has lead to an increase of individual listening (i.e. listening to self-selected
music, in private or via headphones in public). As a consequence there is now increased opportunity for individualised listening in workplaces
Although there is a growing body of research into music
listening practices in daily life, little is known about the
uses of music listening at work. Studies of music uses in

ICMPC9 International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition - Proceedings

the workplace have often investigated the effects of imposed music on productivity and morale (e.g., Fox, 1971;
Uhrbrock, 1961; Wokun, 1969), and less often explored
effects of self-selected music on psychological well-being.
Two intervention-studies have investigated the effects of
self-selected music listening on work performance and affective responses. A study by Oldham et al. (1995) investigated headset use by employees in a retail organisationoffice and its effects on mood, performance, turnover intentions, job satisfaction and other work responses. Lesiuk
(2005) studied music listening via personal stereo or headset use in computer programmers and the effects on quality
of work, time on task and affect. The results of both studies
suggest that self-selected music listening generally increases work performance as well as positive affect in office-based working environments.

AIM
The aim of the current study is to explore current music
listening practices in office-based workplaces to find out
how, where and how often employees listen to music at
work, as well as what activities they carry out concurrently.
The study also aims to provide more detailed information
about the functions of music, what type of music the respondents listen to, and whether and how music is used in
these contexts as a means of regulating mood and improving well-being.

METHOD
Respondents
The sample constituted 175 females and 119 males. Respondents were aged between 18 and 65: 18-25 (N = 33),
26-35 (N = 132), 36-45 (N = 62), 46-55 (N = 53) and 5665 (N = 14). One respondent did not indicate gender or
age. The occupational categories included were managers,
administrative occupations, teaching and research professionals, business and public service professionals, science
and technology professionals, health and social welfare
associate professionals, secretarial occupations, protective
services, business and public service associate professionals, science and technology associate professionals and
culture, media and sports occupations. The respondents
were initially identified through personal contacts in a variety of professions, using a snow-balling technique. Underrecruitment in a small number of occupational categories
was resolved by contacting businesses, NHS care trusts,
organisations and unions. A particular effort was made to
include teaching and research professionals, protective service occupations, health and social welfare associate professionals, business and public service associate professionals, corporate managers and administrative occupations, who together account for half of the self-reported
work-related stress, depression and anxiety (HSE, 2003).
Further details of the specified job roles within each category were obtained through the Standard Occupation Classification 2000 (National Statistics, 2006). The distribution

of the population was compared with the data on these

groups from the 2001 census for England (National Statistics Nomis, 2006). The divergence between sample and
survey proportions was less than 5% for all groups, measured by gender and job category.

Instructions and questionnaire

The questionnaire was administered online between December 2005 and May 2006 (and as a paper copy when
contacting groups employed in less IT-orientated environments, e.g., protective services, certain health professionals). Respondents recruited to the online questionnaire
were sent an invitation e-mail with brief information about
the study, its purpose, contact details for further information and a link to the online survey. Since the aim of the
study was to investigate how music is currently used in
office-based workplaces, the invitation email encouraged
responses from those people who currently listen to music
in the workplace. The invitation e-mail therefore asked:
Do you listen to music at work? Does music help you at
work in some way, if so how?. A participant information sheet was linked to the website, where the respondents
could read about the purpose of the study more closely
before they decided to take part. The invitation e-mail also
invited respondents to spread the questionnaire further to
friends, family and colleagues if they wished. The paper
copies were returned via post in stamped return envelope.
The proportion of data collected via paper copies was 7%.
The questionnaire consisted of 22 items. The questions
gathered quantitative and qualitative data on occupation,
perceived workplace stress, the amount and type of music listening during a working week, the listening technologies employed, the amount of control the respondent had
over music in their workplace, the activities carried out
concurrently with music listening, and the perceived functions that music listening had for the respondent. Respondents were also asked to state any reasons for not listening
to music at work. The response choices contained a mixture
of forced choices, free responses, multiple responses with
Likert scale (i.e., respondents could choose more than one
answer and respond on a scale of 1 to 5), and percentagescale responses. Forced choice responses were used to collect contextual data, e.g., occupation categories and physical workplace surroundings. The free text questions aimed
to capture the respondents instinctive thoughts about functions of music, what music they listened to, their definition
of stress and reasons for not listening to music at work.
Percentage-scale responses collected data on the degree of
choice over music at work, amount of music listening in a
working week and also of headphone use. Multiple responses with Likert scales were used to collect data on music listening technologies employed, activities carried out
whilst listening, location and social environment when listening, and functions of music discussed in previous research (DeNora, 2000; North, Hargreaves and Hargreaves,
2004; Sloboda & ONeill, 2001).

ICMPC9 International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition - Proceedings

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Out of the total 294 respondents, 80% reported listening to
music at work. Out of these 80%, respondents listened on
average for 36% of their working week. The respondents
reported a high degree of choice over music at work, on
average 78% of the time. The high frequency of individual
listening reported by respondents indicates the timeliness
of research into self-selected, as opposed to imposed, music
(e.g., Fox, 1971; Uhrbrock, 1961; Wokun, 1969). All the
descriptive statistical results reported in the following subsections were rated by the respondents on a five-point
Likert scale. For questions asking respondents to rate activities, listening devices and environment, 1 = never and 5
= always. For questions asking respondents to rate functions of music, 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly
agree. The number of participants rating each item is illustrated (N), and differences in these numbers indicate missing data as these questions were not mandatory.

Activities
Respondents were asked to indicate how often they carried
out certain activities at the same time as listening to music
at work, by rating them from 1 = never to 5 = always. The
most common activities undertaken whilst listening to music during work were driving/travelling (N = 235, x = 3.5,
SD = 1.7), doing routine tasks (N = 235, x = 3.4, SD =
1.7), doing word processing tasks (N = 236, x = 3.2, SD =
1.4) and surfing/e-mailing (N = 235, x = 3.1, SD = 1.3).
Less common activities were talking to colleagues (N =
235, x = 1.9, SD = 1.2) and talking to others (N = 235, x =
1.6, SD = 1.1). The majority of the results are consistent
with studies of music listening in daily life (e.g., North,
Hargreaves & Hargreaves, 2004), therefore these results
reinforce these previous findings with respect to the specific location of the workplace. Word processing was the
only more cognitively demanding task in the workplace
that was frequently reported, suggesting that respondents
did not find music particularly distracting when carrying
out this task. Previous research has shown that a combination of high arousal factors, including personality differences and information load in music, can account for
whether or not music listening distracts and therefore detracts from work performance (Furnham & Allass, 1999;
Kiger, 1989). It is possible that the respondents in this
study intuitively managed their music choices in order to
minimize any distracting effects when listening to music at
work. Worth noting, however, is that previous studies of
musics effect on task performance used music chosen by
the researcher. It is therefore also possible that by having a
high level of choice over the music (which many respondents in this study had), the respondents found music less
distracting (Parente, 1976).

Listening device and type of music

In order to find out how music listening technologies were
incorporated into offices, respondents were asked to indi-

cate how often they used certain listening devices by rating

them from 1 = never to 5 = always. Radio (N = 236, x =
2.7, SD = 1.7) was the most commonly used listening device at work, followed by CD-player on the computer (N =
234, x = 2.4, SD = 1.6) and listening via the internet (N =
232, x = 2.2, SD = 1.6). These three listening technologies
may have included streamed media, Internet-radio or mp3files stored on the computer, since the data does not provide this level of detail. However, some respondents reported these kinds of listening facilities under other, mentioning software including iTunes and RealPlayer, mp3files stored on the computer and Internet-radio. The least
common listening devices were public loud speakers (N =
231, x = 1.2, SD = 0.9) and cassette tape players (N = 231,
x = 1.1, SD = 0.5). This result indicates that imposed music is less common at work than self-selected music, and it
also highlights the decrease in popularity of cassette tapes
in recent years, compared to previous studies (Bull, 2000).
The respondents were asked to describe what music they
listened to in a free response question. Analysis of the
comments revealed that respondents used three different
ways of describing their music choices. Some respondents
referred to listening devices, including iPod and radio.
Others named artists or albums, in more or less detail.
Some respondents also described the music in terms of
perceived functions, including relaxing music (Mu83,
Crew Manager, Fire Station) or upbeat music which isn't
too manic... so that you can concentrate but be perhaps
influenced to keep your energy levels up (Mu38, Account
Manager). Although many respondents stated that their
musical preferences were not different at work compared to
at home, some did describe particular musical parameters
that they preferred when working:
While working at a computer [I listen to] more mellow or instrumental music (Mu3, Business Development Manager)

This suggests that there may be certain sonic qualities that

are more suitable for certain people, in certain situations
when doing certain tasks. This does not necessarily mean
that particular types of music are more or less suited to
listen to in a workplace setting, but rather that there may be
certain combinations of tasks, sounding music, individual
factors and situations that could prove more suitable than
others.

Environment
The majority of respondents worked in an open-plan office
(44%) and in a shared room (30%), whereas fewer worked
in a private room (22%), from home (3%) or on the road
(0.7%). Respondents were asked to rate locations for listening to music at work on a scale of 1 = never to 5 = always.
Results showed that they were most often in their offices
when listening to music (N = 237, x = 4.0, SD = 1.4), and
travelling between locations was the second most commonly mentioned location for listening (N = 233, x = 2.8,
SD = 1.7). Respondents listened to music less often when

ICMPC9 International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition - Proceedings

working from home (N = 231, x = 2.1, SD = 1.5), and in

break rooms (N = 232, x = 1.5, SD = 1.0). The fact that
respondents reported listening to music in the office seems
at first contradictory compared to earlier results showing
that driving/travelling was the most common activity when
listening to music. However, this may indicate that they
generally spend more time in their offices than travelling,
thus in a week listen to music more often in the office. The
higher mean for driving/travelling-activities possibly suggests that the respondents listen to music for a higher proportion of the time when they travel, and for a lower proportion of the time in the office. Further research would be
needed to clarify this.
Respondents also rated who they were with when listening
at work, on a scale of 1 = never to 5 = always. Most respondents reported being alone when listening to music at
work (N = 232, x = 3.9, SD = 1.5), compared to listening
together with other people (N = 234, x = 2.6, SD = 1.6).
Listening alone also included listening by oneself in the
presence of other people (e.g., in an open-plan office).
These results are consistent with previous research showing
that most of the music listening in daily life takes place in
private when there is a high degree of choice of music
(North, Hargreaves & Hargreaves, 2004).

Functions of music at work

Music at work had clear mood-related functions, with respondents agreeing most strongly with statements that music Improves your mood, Helps you relax and Makes
you happier (table 1). Many respondents commented that:
listening to music makes me feel happy and relaxed
(Fu183, Projects Assistant)
Table 1. Functions of music listening at work (Likert scale 15: 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree)

Functions
Improves your mood

x
4.4

SD
0.9

Helps you relax

4.3

1.0

Makes you happier

4.1

0.9

Makes you less bored

3.9

1.1

Creates a suitable atmosphere

3.8

1.0

Improves your focus

3.8

1.0

Blocks out surrounding noise

3.7

1.3

Inspires/stimulates you

3.7

1.1

Helps your creative flow

3.6

1.1

Distracts you from unwanted thoughts

3.4

1.2

Makes you less tired

3.2

1.2

Provides a different perspective

3.1

1.2

Helps you pace your work

2.8

1.2

Other

1.9

1.5

Music at work could block out surrounding noise and improve focus (table 1), and these two functions were also
frequently mentioned in a free response question about
functions of music at work. Respondents reported that music at work can block the numerous distractions that are
inherent in working in an open plan office (Fu5, Health &
Safety Manager), leading to improved focus on tasks
(Fu42, Associate Director). An independent T-test showed
that headphone users agreed significantly stronger with:
improves your focus (t=2.127, p=.035, df=226) and
blocks out surrounding noise (t=5.411, p=.000, df=228)
than respondents who did not use headphones. Studies
have shown that a closer physical positioning between the
person and the media object (i.e., listening via headphones
as opposed to speakers) often leads to liking, higher attention and positive attitudes towards the media object (Kallinen & Ravaja, 2004), but it remains to be established
whether these effects also spill over to tasks carried out
whilst listening (i.e., not media objects). If a closer positioning also influences attitudes towards, and liking of,
other objects in the environment, then it may serve to explain one way in which music listening can aid work performance. A study by Oldham et al. (1995), failed to demonstrate that a reduction of environmental interferences
leads to improved work performance when listening to
music at work. But the qualitative results from this study
show that respondents experience a relationship between
sound-blocking and focus. This combination presumably
aids work performance, although more research is needed
to establish the empirical truth of this effect.
Music at work could stimulate and inspire employees (table
1), and respondents frequently described in a free response
question how music could relieve boredom, particularly
when doing mundane tasks (Fu187, Information Officer).
Music could also create a suitable atmosphere at work (Table 1), and respondents commented that music sometimes
makes office environment more pleasant (Fu70, Welfare
Adviser). Two more themes emerged when responses to
the free response question of musics functions at work
were analysed. Firstly, two respondents suggested that music could stimulate social interaction between colleagues,
as it often provides a talking point (Fu193, Web Editor,
marketing). Secondly, two respondents argued that an interest in the sounding music could provide motivation for
listening at work, as listening expands musical horizons
(Fu192, Information Officer).
The majority of these results support findings in other studies of daily music listening (e.g., DeNora, 2000, North,
Hargreaves & Hargreaves, 2004). However, the function of
sound-blocking, which leads to improved focus, is especially emphasized in the qualitative comments.

ICMPC9 International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition - Proceedings

Music, well-being and work performance at

work
Many respondents (159 of 226) indicated in free response
questions (why do you listen to this music at work and
what functions do you believe it has for you) that music
at work allowed them to regulate their mood and increase
their relaxation (table 2). These strategies seemed to be
connected to improvements in well-being and work performance.
Table 2. Themes of musically induced well-being and
positive affect at work.
Themes:

Therapeutic

Inspiring

Relaxing

Mood
improving

Quotes:
[Music] lets me think, allows me to chill and
unwind, if it's a punky song I can imagine all
my stresses being screamed out with the song
even if I'm not screaming along with it.
(Fu107, Administrative Assistant)
It connects with my creative forces and fulfils a need for deeper experience. Music satisfies the hunger of the soul. (Fu25, Project
Manager)
Takes my mind off the things that are really
stressing me out - calms me down and clears
the mind. (Wh180, Purchasing Coordinator)
It puts me in a good mood and therefore I
feel more cheerful at work and less stressed.
(Fu257, Personal Assistant)
It makes me more relaxed and puts me in a
good mood, which means I am nicer to people, especially on the telephone.(Fu253,
Unit Secretary)
[I listen to] improve my mood and keep a
balanced view to what you are dealing with
e.g., it might help me remain calm or positive
when dealing with a stressful situation.
(Fu39, Account Manager)

Respondents reported that music listening could have a

therapeutic function (table 2). In these circumstances, respondents described projecting negative emotions into
sonic qualities of the music in a catharsis-like process:
We feel that rock music helps express our anger when
we've been messed around by clients. (Wh11, Recruitment Consultant Manager)

Here, one respondent perceives that a number of employees

in the same workplace collectively let off steam and express negative emotions that derived from their job roles.
This procedure can be described to assist psychological
adjustment (Sloboda & ONeill, 2001, p. 427) and, as the
Administrative Assistant in table 2 illustrates, to reduce
stress without behaving in a way which may be perceived
as inappropriate in the workplace.
Respondents also stated listening to music for inspiration
(table 2). Some explained that they felt more inspired to

continue their working day, whereas others argued that the

inspiration related to a deeper experience, sometimes described as spiritual:
"I listen to the music during work breaks because it
transcends the workplace and acts as a form of escapism
(I sometimes go to the gym at lunchtime which has a
similar effect but lacks the spiritual dimension)" (Wh26,
Project Manager)

It has been suggested that music can be perceived as spiritual because the perception and cognition of music shares
elements of ineffability with spiritual experiences (Sloboda, 2000). By providing an inexpressible experience at
work, it appears that music has the capacity to stimulate
employees in an environment where things are more often
quantified and graspable.
Respondents frequently reported that music listening at
work helped them to relax and decrease their perceived
stress levels. Although previous research has reported contradictory evidence of musics effect on relaxation (see
review by Biley, 2000), it has been argued that selfselected music in particular is more efficient for relaxation
and reduction of anxiety (Davis & Thaut, 1989; Burns et
al., 1999). The results of this study indicate that selfselected music at work can have similar effects. Although
relaxation has been seen as a part of mood states (Lesiuk,
2005; Oldham et al., 1995, and also as an emotion: Juslin
& Laukka, 2004), many respondents in this study perceived
the two as different and claimed that musically induced
mood improvements led to relaxation. A general relaxation
response consists of a reduction of activity in the sympathetic nervous system, including reduction of oxygen consumption, lower pulse, lower muscle tension, a decrease in
breathing frequency, and lower blood pressure (Benson,
2001). The subjective experience can be varied but often
manifests itself as a sense of calm and well-being (ibid). It
is difficult to establish whether the respondents were referring to cognitive, affective or physiological components of
relaxation, but the qualitative comments suggests that respondents believed positive mood and relaxation to be different, and that musically induced positive mood can lead
to a reduction of stress.
Musically induced mood improvements were also believed
to lead to improvements in work performance. Music can
aid work performance because it often generates mild positive affect, which can influence how cognitive material is
organised, and therefore improve creativity (Lesiuk, 2005).
Also, by aiding relaxation, music can alter the perception
of materials and consequently decrease so called mental
blocks (ibid). Furthermore, people can get energised by
the perception of and the response to music, and the sounding music can assist in pacing the work, i.e., spending less
time on tasks (Lesiuk, 2005; Wokun; 1969). Finally, it has
also been suggested that music at work can be perceived as
something which the employees are in control of, which
can influence work performance positively (Oldham et al.,
1995). However, respondents in this study described how

ICMPC9 International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition - Proceedings

their behaviour and attitude towards things that happened

to them in the workplace would change as a result of mood
improvements through music listening (e.g., being nicer to
customers on the phone, remaining more positive in a
stressful situation). The respondents seemed to believe that
these changes in behaviour was a result of musically induced mood improvements, and interpreted them as improving their work performance.
Given that respondents reported effects of music listening
at work that related to well-being and relaxation, further
analysis were carried out focusing on reported levels of job
stress. Respondents were asked to rate how stressful they
found their jobs on a five-point Likert scale (where 1 = not
at all stressful to 5 = extremely stressful). The result
showed moderate overall levels of stress (N = 295, x =
2.48, SD = 0.88). Fewer respondents reported their jobs as
extremely stressful (1%), very stressful (10%), or not
stressful at all (13%), whereas most respondents reported
their jobs as moderately stressful (38%) or mildly stressful
(38%). A Pearsons correlation test showed no correlation
between levels of stress and weekly listening time. Similarly, a one-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences in perceived functions of music according to reported
stress levels.
Respondents who rated their jobs as not at all stressful or
mildly stressful (N = 151) were compared with respondents
rating their jobs as very or extremely stressful (N = 32), to
further explore possible differences in use and functions of
music between the two groups. An independent T-test
showed no significant difference in weekly listening time
between the two groups, indicating that level of stress does
not necessarily determine the amount of music that individuals listen to at work. An independent T-test showed no
significant differences in mood and well-being related
functions (Improves my mood, Makes me happy and
Relaxes me), indicating that respondents who rated their
jobs very or extremely stressful were not less likely to find
that music has relaxing or mood improving functions.
However, respondents who found their jobs mildly stressful or not stressful at all agreed significantly more with the
statement that music Makes you less bored (t = 2.28, df =
154, p = .024). This indicates that respondents reporting
low levels of stress are more likely to use music for its
stimulating and energising effects, than respondents with a
high level of reported stress. This result is consistent with
theories of arousal management which suggests that people
choose music to optimize their responses to a particular
situation (North & Hargreaves, 2000). Although the data in
this study does not reveal anything about the particular
music that respondents listened to, it is evident that respondents with low levels of stress found it more beneficial to
listen to music in order to relieve boredom.
To conclude, it appears that music listening can influence
both self-reported well-being and work performance at
work. This may be because both well-being and work per-

formance are closely linked; positive emotional experiences seem to be the key inputs for both well-being and
work performance, and music often elicits these types of
experiences.

Disadvantages with music listening at work

Although respondents reported a fairly high level of choice
over music at work, having no control over the music heard
at work was associated with reports of music being found
annoying and distracting:
Every December we are allowed a CD player in the office and I have to listen to Christmas CD's on repeat - I
believe this is detrimental to my health. (Senior Brand
Manager)

One way of solving the problem of limited choice is for

listeners to use headphones, which 31% of the respondents
did. Many respondents reported that they used headphones
as a consideration to other work colleagues, but that it also
as mentioned earlier improved their focus on the task at
hand. A drawback that headphone use can entail at work is
that it can lead to feelings of social exclusion, where headphone users can not interact socially with their colleagues
to the same extent as those not using headphones:
I have to be selective about listening to music at work
because I find that I miss out on a lot of discussions in
the office, even eavesdropping manager conversations (Technical Infrastructure Specialist)

Using headphones at work can signal to other colleagues

that one is busy and needs to be left alone:
People tend to interrupt your work less if you are wearing headphones (Fu18, Grid Systems Manager);

And using headphones can create frustration among nonlisteners who try to communicate with someone using
headphones:
It can infuriate some work colleagues, if they are nonlisteners. They sometimes get angry that they need to
wait a moment for you to pause/unplug earphones
(ad77, Computer programmer)

However, it appears that the problem of communication is

smaller than that of forced listening, and many respondents
regarded using headphones as a practical way of listening
to music at work.

Conclusion
This study aimed to shed light on the use of music in office-based working environments and to provide exploratory data on the use of music for well-being purposes. The
results of this study suggest that many of the respondents
used music listening to improve their well-being in the
workplace. The results reveal that many respondents believed that musically induced positive mood at work can
lead to improved work performance (increased capability
to deal with stressful situations, increased positive attitudes
towards clients/colleagues). Although further empirical
research is needed to clarify this claim, it supports previous

ICMPC9 International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition - Proceedings

research suggesting that musically induced mood at work

can influence work performance (Lesiuk, 2005; Oldham et
al., 1995). Qualitative comments by the respondents suggest that self-selected music is an important element in improving both well-being and work performance, and statistical analysis indicates that headphone use can further enhance some of the functions that music has at work. The
results also indicate that music listening can influence social interaction at work by providing a talking point, but
also decrease social interaction when people using headphones become withdrawn from their colleagues. BattRawden, DeNora & Ruud have argued that listening to
and talking about music may provide resources for a better
quality of life and better health (2005, p. 122). Further
research is therefore needed to explore how social interaction through music can be stimulated and whether this can
provide employees with resources for improving their wellbeing. Finally, the results also imply that there might be
certain sonic qualities that are more suitable when working,
and further research is needed to shed light on relationships
between musical parameters, task performance and the context of work.
In interpreting the results, it must be remembered that all
respondents were volunteers recruited for their use of music at work, which means this data cannot be used to draw
any conclusions about the wider incidence of music listening in workplaces, and that responses may therefore exhibit
a bias towards the views of those people who use music
rather than those who do not. This potential sample bias
could also have contributed to the finding that subjective
stress was not correlated with the frequency of musiclistening, or with widespread differences in the perceived
functions of music. It may be that even those respondents
scoring highly on the stress scale were relatively less
stressed than those who did not take part in the survey.
This study provides a first glance at how music is being
used, what the functions are and how music listening technologies are incorporated into offices in the U.K. It is important to further investigate this phenomenon as there is a
need to focus on enhancing psychological well-being in
workplaces, and also because individual listening devices
are widely available in workplaces today. It is also of importance to investigate these questions across various
workplace settings. The social context of music listening
has been ignored in previous research, where most studies
of emotion induction through music and of musics effect
on work performance have been carried out in laboratory
settings (Juslin & Laukka, 2004; Furnham, & Bradley,
1997). There is therefore a possibility that functions of music may vary depending on the context. Future research
should also take into account the importance of selfselected music, and the adverse emotional reactions that
imposed music can have, when empirical studies are designed.

This research is a step towards understanding how wellbeing in the workplace can be maintained and enhanced
through the use of self-selected music, as opposed to understanding how ill health at work can be reduced through
music (see Ruud 1997, for a similar discussion within music therapy). This is an important distinction to make, as the
latter view proposes a reactive, rather than proactive, approach. Well-being is more than the absence of illness.
Similarly, the effects of music and the reasons for why
people listen to music at work are more complicated and
far-reaching than its ability to reduce stress.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research was carried out using data from the project
An exploratory study of music-listening practices in workplace settings, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research
Council, in collaboration with Dr Nicola Dibben.

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Segn un estudio paneuropeo de Logitech

Escuchar msica en el trabajo mejora la productividad

Escuchar msica es el mejor mtodo de concentracin y relajacin en el trabajo, y puede ayudar a combatir mejor
las cargas que genera, segn un estudio organizado por Logitech en varios pases de Europa.
12 Abr 2005 | REDACCIN, LAFLECHA
Segn este estudio, 8 de cada 10 europeos escucha msica en el trabajo y el
75% de los que lo hacen considera que les ayuda a relajarse y a concentrarse
ms en su trabajo. Otras opciones que los encuestados mencionaron para aliviar
el stress en el trabajo son hablar con los compaeros (52%) o pasear para aliviar
la mente (41%).
Logitech, el lder en el diseo y fabricacin de perifricos para PC como
altavoces, headsets o webcams, ha desarrollado este estudio para analizar el
creciente uso del ordenador personal como un sistema de entretenimiento en el
trabajo. El estudio ha mostrado que, el 44% de los trabajadores que escuchan
msica en el trabajo la encuentran como una fuente de inspiracin, y un 24% afirma que incrementa su
productividad.
Segn los resultados del estudio, la msica Pop es el estilo musical preferido por los europeos cuando buscan
eficiencia e inspiracin en el trabajo con un 62% de los encuestados que afirma que es el mejor gnero para
conseguir motivacin. Artistas como U2 o Robbie Williams aparecen mencionados en el estudio como fuente de
inspiracin en el trabajo. Como mtodo de relajacin, la msica Pop sigue siendo el gnero preferido por los
europeos, con un 46% que considera que es el mejor mtodo para superar situaciones estresantes, seguida por la
msica clsica (42%) y el Jazz (41%).
La msica, el peor enemigo del estrs
"La msica puede convertirse en el peor enemigo del estrs. Los efectos positivos de la msica relacionados con la
parte emotiva, cognitiva e incluso fsica del ser humano, son una realidad contrastada. Desde tiempos de Mozart,
quin afirm que la msica clsica ayudaba a los nios a incrementar su memoria, hasta nuestros das, la msica ha
tenido efectos positivos en el comportamiento. El estudio de Logitech ha puesto de manifiesto que la msica
tambin ayuda a incrementar la productividad y a mejorar el estado de nimo general de los entornos de trabajo",
afirma la prestigiosa psicloga Linda Papadopoulos.
La doctora Linda Papadopoulos, que ha colaborado en diversos programas televisivos como "Gran Hermano",
comenta: "el gusto musical que tiene cada ser humano es sin duda la mejor gua para incrementar el rendimiento y
relajarse mejor. Sin embargo, y en trminos generales, los tempos altos de la msica Pop probablemente
contribuyan ms a la motivacin y a la eficiencia, mientras que la msica clsica es el mejor mtodo para
concentrarse".
"La msica proporciona la banda sonora de nuestras vidas. Nos trae recuerdos, nos levanta el nimo y tiene un
efecto muy positivo en el modo de comportarnos con los que nos rodean, tanto en el entorno personal como
empresarial", concluye la Dra. Papadopoulos.
Resultados en Espaa
En Espaa, y de acuerdo con este estudio, la msica Pop es la mejor aliada para combatir la cantidad de trabajo
con la que se enfrentan los espaoles a diario. Adems, el 64% de los espaoles que escuchan msica en el
trabajo, desarrollan sus actividades de forma ms eficiente.
As mismo, el 81% considera que escuchar msica en el entorno laboral tambin les inspira y les ayuda a
concentrarse.
En cuanto al estilo de msica ideal para relajarse en el trabajo, los espaoles prefieren la msica New Age, ya que
ms de la mitad de los encuestados (55%) considera que es el estilo msical ms adecuado para reducir el estrs
en determinadas situaciones. A este estilo le siguen muy de cerca la msica Pop con un 45% y los Grandes xitos
de toda la vida con un 41% de la poblacin. Sobre otras opciones para reducir el estress en el trabajo, los espaoles
se decantan por hablar con los compaeros de trabajo sobre las preocupaciones que tengan, en un 73% de los
casos, o pasear, en un 55% de los casos.

Influencia fsica y psicolgica

Con respecto al plano fsico, se ha demostrado que la msica es capaz de variar la cantidad de cortisol en nuestro
organismo; la denominada hormona del stress. Dependiendo del tipo de msica se consigue disminuir o aumentar la
presencia de esta hormona en la sangre. Por lo que en el plano fsico la msica es capaz de modificar nuestro
comportamiento o el estado de relajacin de nuestro cuerpo ante una tarea determinada.
En el plano psicolgico, se ha demostrado que la msica es capaz de generar determinadas ondas cerebrales
relacionadas con los estados de calma y atencin, del mismo modo genera la estimulacin de determinadas
conexiones neuronales de nuestro cerebro. Si se escoge una msica adecuada es capaz de provocar una mayor
concentracin y creatividad.
Mejor desempeo laboral
Aunque no es aplicable realizar la actividad musical para todo el mundo; ya sea por los diferentes tipos de
personalidades y formas de pensar, as como algunas polticas de la empresa en relacin al escuchar o no msica
en el trabajo, se ha conseguido demostrar empricamente sus beneficios en determinados grupos y estudios
concretos. Gente introvertida realiza menos tareas que la extrovertida cuando escucha msica de fondo.
Los introvertidos llegan a la sobrecarga sensorial ms pronto que los extrovertidos. Por otro lado, la gente muy
extrovertida a veces se concentra mejor con la msica que sin ella, se sienten ms confortables con sus sentidos
comprometidos al mximo.
Investigaciones, afirman que la gente que regularmente escucha msica mientras trabaja o estudia se desempea
mejor mientras lo hace que la gente que usualmente trabaja en silencio. As que tal vez seas capaz de entrenarte
para trabajar mejor con msica de fondo, an si eres temperamentalmente adecuado para un ambiente ms
tranquilo.
La calidad de reproduccin es importante
Usa auriculares para aumentar las capacidades mentales a la vez que estimulas la creatividad y la imaginacin.
La capacidad de la msica de beneficiar ciertas conexiones neuronales y generar determinadas ondas cerebrales
provocadas por efectos tan curiosos como la sincronizacin de ondas cerebrales o el efecto binaural, es concretada
por la calidad de reproduccin y el uso de los auriculares. Todo ello se basa en los tonos, las frecuencias de sonido
y la reproduccin en estreo. Si no tenemos unos buenos auriculares con un gran rango de frecuencias capaces de
reproducir fielmente los sonidos, el efecto cerebral conseguido ser ms pobre.
Suba el volumen de la msica
Si usted no puede concentrarse, puede estar sufriendo demasiadas interrupciones. Un consejo para este problema
es tomar sus auriculares, ponga la msica que mejor trabaja para usted y suba el volumen.