Why You Can’t Listen to Music While You Work
This episode is brought to you by the Music for Scientists album! Stream the album on major music services here: biglink.to/music-for-scientists. Check out the “For Your Love" music video here: • "For Your Love of the ... .
Some people are capable of concentrating in a storm of noise and motion, and some get distracted by the slightest squeak of a classmate’s chair. This has to do with our brain’s ability to filter, and not only are both entirely natural, each can boost our creativity.
Hosted by: Brit Garner
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This episode is brought to you by the Music for Scientists album! Stream the album on major music services here: biglink.to/music-for-scientists. Check out the “For Your Love" music video here: kzhead.info/sun/jKujmtqcamZ5qZs/bejne.html.
I literally always listen to music while working. It helps me focus and drowns out and background noises or anything similar.
An amazing album, with rich inspiring music. I'm very glad you and other science communicators were able to partner with Patrick Olson to bring his music to a broader audience.
Defining “more actual, real-world creative achievements” as “their creative work was more likely to be widely distributed or recognized” doesn’t seem to take into consideration that the latter greatly relies on having (or having access to someone with) significant business/marketing/interpersonal skills & resources that get one’s creative product out of one’s studio/laptop/garage and in front of collectors/critics/consumers.
"Why You Can't X" First sentence: "Some people can X" Well.
its framed as a hypothetical, think of it like a shorter way of saying "if you cant listen to music while you work, this is why"
As a German Engineer, i can only work properly, when precision 90's techno is being played
For me long (Psy)Trance tracks/mixes work best to get things done that are already planned out. With more creative or problem-solving tasks it depends on my mood.
it's power metal that does it for me.. especially bands like Powerwolf or Sabaton.. the way the music flows into one another is the best for me as it helps me kind of wave along in my brain
Can’t get more German than that
I can't work without music, it prevents me from getting bored and getting distracted by other things around me
For me, context matters a lot. I can be distracted by the smallest sound in some circumstances, but other times the noise helps me focus
Same. Depends what I'm doing. And even then, sometimes I get distracted by my own music just to struggle to focus after the playlist ends. Flip a coin, I guess.
I'm ADHD. Sometimes I require background noise, including music, other times it's a massive distraction. Depends on the task and my mood
I ran to the comments as soon as the video started. i knew adhd was gonna come up. Im the same
Being autistic, I definitely think there are situations where my sensory gating is 'leakier' or where it's more selective; when I'm hyperfixating on something, I won't hear people calling my name or most other sounds around me. But if it's something I'm less interested in, any noise (someone coughing, the buzz of lights) can be enough to distract me. I also think it's connected to general stimulation levels: if I've been over/understimulated, I'm worse at blocking things out than if I've had a good sensory day. Very interesting stuff!
same
I have ADHD and can see myself in this
Autistic & ADHD, and I was chuckling through this whole video. I literally have leaky and non-leaky depending on the situation and my stress levels. Definitely mostly leaky though, even though I'm not particularly creative.
My experience is that I have a certain 'range' of gating, when I focus on a game on my pc I filter out the annoying neighbor but not the message app that is annoying in the same way as the neighbor. I notice this range also varies with the amount of focus / investment I have in a task, if I am really invested this range is basically only the task (and the annoying messaging app / equivalent) and when I am more relaxedly working it is pretty large. The only exception I noticed to this rule is emergency sounds like alarms, things breaking, etc. those still get through regardless of the range of the gate (with some extreme hyperfocus exceptions but those are rare)
I’m not diagnosed ASD but yeah this is me. Either don’t hear a single thing or every thing is overwhelming and I can’t stand it
I'm more 'leaky'. I can listen to music when I'm trying to concentrate, but it should be instrumental. Lyrics seem to derail my thinking.
I find that music I have listened to very often is as effective for me as instrumental, since I know the lyrics by heart so they're like background noise! But new music with lyrics? Nope. Can't work.
@ Interesting.... My mind doesn't seem to make the same distinction. In fact familiar lyrics may be more captivating (distracting) because they elicit emotional responses related to the times I connect them to.
Same here, I instantly am distracted if there is a voice in the music (even if it's not singing words). Though much less distracted with non-verbal vocalization, as well as foreign language lyrics. But there's definitely an instantaneous recognition switch in my brain as soon as a voice enters the soundscape.
Exactly the same!
hmm, I think I'm less leaky in general, but lyrics are very leaky. Maybe some sounds are harder to gate than others.
There is no gate at all in my brain, ADHD is great, in a exam, I can hear everyone flip their page while im re-reading the question the 6th time :D
I've never related to a comment more LOL glad I'm not the only ADHDer with leaky gating
I cant fall asleep if there is a ticking clock in the room, I hyper fixate on it. I have to wear hearing protection to sleep lmao, Its kinda silly.
Was looking for this comment. Adhd here too hahahaha
judging by the comments, you should probably change the title from "You" to "Some" since you don't mean everyone, just people with less selective sensory gating
I agree immediately I was like? I don't have this problem
it's clickbait tactics, if you have leaky gating you're more likely to click, if you have selective gating you'll click to prove them wrong (our out of spite).
I concentrate better with music big time. Highest test score I ever got was while listening to music.
Nice But... Who asked?
My own thoughts are way more distracting than music. Music can put you in the zone. Also emotional support like a thunder shirt on a dog.
I've worked mostly in kitchens so I've gotten to play my music at work and man I do so much better with it. I wish I had gotten to take tests with some headphones and a Walkman. Lol
It depends on the task for me. It didn’t depend as much before I was diagnosed with ADHD and started taking Ritalin, because the dopamine boost from listening to music was more necessary for me back then.
@@bluesap7318 do you really need to be a jerk to random strangers?
I've found music helps me avoid fidgeting as much, and it helps keep my dopamine train going, so I can more easily focus on a task. ADHD be wild.
Me too, especially pre-diagnosis. These days I also take Ritalin to help with the same thing.
wait is that why I always have to listen to music when I'm writing papers 😳 ...another thing to add to the list of possible symptoms I guess
As a parent who's child has toys with repeataive sounds I developed the ability to tune out the toy for survival.
Some of these "focus" Spotify playlists are absolutely terrible for focus :p Also, nice sweater!
@@stevethecat9934 peepee yucky
@@Shadow-gx6lx FOR REAL 🤢
@@stevethecat9934 What?
For some people music might be like a companion or emotional aid that allows them to calm down enough to focus. Maybe they aren't reaching peak concentration but they might not get anywhere with their own thoughts in silence.
i legit do much better with power metal as it motivated me and makes me vibe.. those "focus" playlists are often too calm for me and since my brain is quite active all the time (ADHD and Autism related mainly ADHD though) if i'm listening to something completely on the wrong wavelength it just won't work.. if i'm listening to something with a nice flow and the right wavelength and speed then i'm completely fine
I can only listen to instrumental music when I study . Anything with lyrics makes me wanna sing along
In my case, selective or leaky sensory gating is sooo contextual. Sometimes, I'm laser focus while the world is collapsing over me, while sometimes, I'm overly annoyed by little noises. Contextual factors that provoke those differences in sensory gating seem under regarded in this vid. We are too pigeonholed in a category while reality seems more complexe than that. But I know, short bite sized vids need that.
There seems to be an interesting connection between focus, sensory gating and creativity. Like how people with ADHD tend (not always but often) to be creative people, and they also tend to have sensory issues. I recently found out part of the ADHD population might actually have what they call "hypokalemic sensory ovrstimulation", where low serum potassium triggers sensory overstimulation (not necessarily pathologically low potassium, just through normal fluctuation throughout the day, like after a high carb or high salt meal, or after a bout of exercise). Interestingly, this sub-population was identified thanks to an unexpected biomarker: relative resistance to the local anesthetic lidocaine, which acts on sodium-potassium channels, so this rises suspicion for this specific presentation to be a channelopathy... a peripheral issue rather than an issue in the brain itself. (Again this is only one subpopulation within the general ADHD population, not the explanation to all forms of ADHD, the neurotransmitter theory may very well still apply to many.) In other words, I just find it interesting to note that some people migh be dealing with too much input, rather than too little gating.
That's interesting! I'm adhd (as is everyone else in my immediate family) and have always found that electrolyte drinks do a lot for my sense of well-being and ability to function. Granted, maybe these drinks just make it easier to maintain a proper level of hydration, but I also have twitchy muscles when I'm tired, which could be explained by some kind of global electrolyte regulation dysfunction. Do you have a link to a study so I can read more about it?
As someone with ADHD whose dentist had to administer an ungodly number of lidocaine shots to get ANY numbing effects, this is really fascinating! Thank you!!
As soon as i started watching the video, i thought "hmm. What about us with adhd? Someone in the comments must have discussed this..." and sure enough, first comment. ❤
Playing some animal crossing compilations or 10 hr loops of similarly chilled out game tracks on low volume frequently does help me but also I have severe ADHD so it helps keep the static in my brain at bay
When I was younger, I used to listen to music ALL THE TIME and could do anything while listening to music... Homework, writing, thinking basically. At some point in college I stopped listening to music regularly though, and now that I'm listening to music more regularly again I CANNOT think while listening to music. The thing I notice the most, is when I was in high school, I could not fall asleep without music. Now, I can't fall asleep with it
Music helps quiet the 500 simultaneous thoughts and focus on the task at hand. Also, cooking in a quiet kitchen is just eerie
relatable whenever i cook (i still live at home because housing crisises are fun and so is corona) i put on some music and dance around while cooking
I play my familiar music while cooking and it helps me focus when making familiar foods because then I can get into the flow of the ritual of cooking the dish. But new food, especially for the first time, nope. I have to have it quiet so I can focus on following the recipe exactly.
@@92RKID I'm a chef, restaurant kitchens are ALWAYS blasting loud music during prep. I love it.
I must have “selective” sensory gating, IE if the person making noise or fidgeting near me is someone I don’t like, everything will annoy me 😂
okay but like why ado I sometimes NEED to listen to classical music, white noise, and thunderstorm noises to be able to concentrate and other times if someone breathes in my proximity I can't work?
I can work while listening to my own music, but if it's someone else's music, tv, or convo, more often than not, I'll have trouble.
i need an answer to this! Maybe it's just my ADHD beign weird, but stil
I highly recommend Tchaikovsky
I wonder if the specific tasks differ in any way? Maybe when you need the distraction, you're doing more free-form associative work, and when you can't work with those... air breathers... around, you're doing more focused mental work akin to holding a lot of complex things in your head? I have a light case of similar, and I'm going to start looking for task-to-conditions patterns... interesting!
TLDR: you're likely the leaky sensory type because it's hard for you to selectively block out random distractions! Sounds like the stuff you listen to are all consistent, non-salient stimuli that you de-sensitize to the more you listen, which puts you in the zone without interrupting your thoughts. Random sounds of people around you are unpredictable, salient stimuli that (as proven by research) catches people's attention, sensitizing your senses & interrupting your thoughts. It makes sense looking at evolutionary psychology because we need to instinctively pay attention to unexpected sounds as signs of danger to survive. Kinda explains why inconsistent noises around you interrupt your train of thought. You probably have leaky sensory gating since it's hard to selectively block out random distractions.
I can’t do anything that requires critical thinking while listening to songs-the words jumble with my thoughts and I can’t focus. Pure music is a bit better but still much worse than nothing at all because I get distracted by the tune. I can however listen during mechanical or creative tasks like drawing.
THIS! If I actually have to think I need silence, but if I'm doing laundry or drawing or cleaning, etc. I need music to keep me from drifting, as well as to help me maintain some concept of the passage of time.
Same. I can’t write with noise/talking/music in the background. But I often do enjoy listening to instrumental music while I am drawing or playing minecraft especially.
I have ADHD. I can not be productive unless there is instrumental music involved.
ohhh that’s interesting! i have ADHD i’m the opposite! tbh rain helps
I have autism and AD(H)D and man, if I didn't have music, I'd be nowhere in life.
ADHD and Autism myself. For me its sometimes music, some times an audio book, or a podcast. Its all about having one overriding thing that takes the part of my brain that wants to focus on everything else and give it one overriding thing to focus on, leaving the rest of me to focus on what I am doing. Sometimes it what keeps my energy up as well.
I think these studies ignore inner sensory gating. My own irrelevant thoughts are way louder any music. But music can shut them up sometimes.
That was me before diagnosis. The dopamine boost from good music was absolutely necessary until I started taking Ritalin to serve the same purpose.
I would love to see if the sensory gating has anything to do with Sensory Processing Disorder and subsequently Autism and ADHD.
I've always noticed that my creative writing comes easier (more fluidly) if I write in Starbucks or another loud environment while my non-fiction writing is clearly better at home or at the library.
I work in graphic design and I am most creative when listening to music that positively stimulates my mood.
I work in a pine field and I always listen to music or podcasts. My work is pure labor, simple but tiring. Music helps keep me moving.
Me listening to 3 hours of viking music while working: *_And I took that personally_* ayy this is dope though
Yeaaaah Wardruna type stuff (although I must stress the less metal stuff is better - so anything but Runaljod Yggdrasil lol) is totally my thing if I need to get into the zone 😎
@@horsemadlanguagenerd453 facts, i do listen to metal but it gets a bit too loud
Have you tried The Hu? They're Viking-adjacent.
@@lyreparadox will try it out thanks
@@lyreparadox I have - I thought I would like them, judging by the description of their music, but I actually just couldn’t deal with it, it’s too loud and busy - even just for casual listening 😬
I find I need music to help inspire me. When I'm writing, I often write based on the mood, or the rhythm of the music. Familiar tunes give me a buzz that stirs my imagination, but conflicting sounds like that of a noisy coffee shop just gives me a headache! It's why I always wear earbuds when out and about, so I can take my music playlist with me. I also find having something to focus on when I'm not writing, like a video game that absorbs my attention, helps clear my mind and conjur new ideas!
I had to become selective after moving from a quiet German town to an LA apartment. I had to with super loud neighbors. I now enjoy when the tv is on and I’m writing or when I hear conversations, and meditation has helped me focus on listening to my environment. I love listening to palm trees in the wind, and can wait until it happens, since most times it’s traffic or talking I hear.
I enjoy a silence when working on small tasks, but long extended sessions of work need a low hum of music to keep my bubble tightly closed.
For me, it depends on the work (writing, or drawing?), the music (instrumental, or not instrumental), and my mental and emotional state (on edge, unmotivated, or serene)... But typically i need something to block out dog barking to get in the flow, and i use music to lend my mood a helping hand even if there is no barking. When i'm properly in the flow, the music or its absence plays no role in my focus any longer, at that point it is rock solid on its own. Dog barking still affects it though. Merely writing about it puts me on edge. I need to move out.
Definitely think I'm more on the leaky side. I can get overwhelmed and distracted by noise very easily. And most of the time the more a noise repeats the more aware of it I feel.
Asperger’s diagnosis, I use sensory gating to ensure I don’t get distracted by external stimuli and so that I also don’t overstimulate from being bombarded by different variations of white noise.
I like music while I work because I've found I focus better when I'm thinking in pulse with a rhythm. I also dance or headbang depending on what I'm listening to. I will add that I am a musician with 2 brass and marching snare and quads under my belt.
glad to hear some research done on this. I've never been able to multitask, nor work in places that aren't completely silent.
I love your illustration , I really get you , thanks
Wow. This explains SO many things! I definitely have leaky sensory gating and my creativity is exactly like the one described in the study.
Very leaky sensory gating here! Things that are a part of my reality is: - Often studying in the bath tub (no distractions) - Never studying in groups, if it can be avoided - Absolutely no music if I need to be efficient - Devices put aside on "do not disturb" - Eductional videos on 1,5x speed (forces me to focus harder) - Enormous problems of getting in "the zone" when something doesn't interest me - In crowded rooms, I tend to hear snippets of many discussions while maintaining my own no matter if I want to or not. On the creative side, I am a musician with a science degree. I wish for a chance to apply neuroscience.
I *LOVE* your jumper Brit!
I need music when writing. But only instrumental, no songs. And mainly only music I'm familiar with, new stuff distracts me as I either like it and want to listen to hate it and don't!
I'm on the autism spectrum and find I can't listen to music and do work at the same time. I have to be engaged completely with an individual thing to focus. It would be interesting to study sensory gating and the autism spectrum because sensory overload is a huge problem so we can develop techniques on how to deal with it. It feels like an extreme form of selective gating to the point when I was a kid even the sound of a vacuum was too much and had to cover my ears.
When younger, my selection was different: I could get distracted by my thoughts and the only way to catch my attention was shouting. On the other hand, I easily found patterns in the rain and dirt, my own speech and so on. Nowadays, I ignore almost all daily stimuli, but it's impossible to get me in that state of mind where I don't realize the smallest new thing in my surroundings.
Did you train yourself to not hyperfocus, and managed to do it so well that you lost your ability to hyperfocus?
@@ragnkja No, it just happened. I miss being able to do so :/
@@somedragontoslay2579 Hyperfocus isn’t an easily tamed beast, but we’re more likely to end up hyperfocusing when doing something we’re _really_ interested in, often referred to as a “special interest”.
@@ragnkja Yeah. It caused trouble. But when finding something I love, I wish I couldn't be distracted by any little detail: my productivity in what I enjoy is hindered. :/
I'm a writer and illustrator, and I can relate to both categories. I fall into the former category of focusing on more stimuli and drawing inspiration from things most people would ignore, and I also fall into the latter category of divergent creativity where I come up with multiple possible solutions. I always listen to music while I'm working, because it keeps my mind from wandering and lets me stick with a task for much longer.
Interesting; thanks for sharing. I myself am in the leaky camp as a writer, but I've found that I can tighten up my sensory gating sometimes through intense focus (like with hobbies where I can tune out everything else around me). Of course, now I'm interested to learn more about this....hehe.
I have always been extremely sensitive to sounds, for example I could immediately tell if a TV was on somewhere in the house by the high-pitch whine the CRT made and I can hear when USB chargers and other electronics have a bad component and whine at 16kHz to the point that sometimes I can't even be in the same room with it while other people hear nothing at all. When I was in 1st or 2nd grade we were having a school gathering in the gym and the fire alarm went off, which was so loud and painful I had to cover my ears, and since it was being filmed/photographed they thought that was hilarious and put it in the school newspaper. I'm glad that recognition and acceptance of sensory issues has changed since the 80's.
Leaky sensory gates may be a character of an introvert.
It's also associated to people within the Autistic Spectrum as most experience sensetivity for sound and or light and are therefore easily distracted. Along with introverted behavior and other things. But everyone is different and experiences certain conditions to one degree or another.
i'd rather have thought it was the other way round. the extraverts i know are easily distracted and have to go to the library to study or discuss things in study groups, while the introverts (including myself) can just pick up a book wherever they are and not even notice the surroundings.
@@tru7hhimself I had the same thought
@@tru7hhimself Introversy doesn't neccesarily mean that you are 'autistic tough. But its possible for someone with it to do specific tasks (usually hobbies or things they are fascinated or intrigued by) where they loose themselves in it and forget their surroundings. In these sircomstances someone with ASD to have selective hearing. However, you won't typically see them seek out 'busy, noisy or generally distracting areas. Generally speaking they tend to prefer working alone, just like introverts.
@@tru7hhimself Ohhh, not me. I'm introverted af and I need it to be as quiet as possible to study or read. That's why I watch videos when my roommate is awake and read after she goes to bed, otherwise I find myself re-reading the same paragraph over and over without absorbing anything.
Thank you for this. I've recognized this difference for a while because my wife listens to music when she work, while I try to find the most quiet place when I work. In any case, as someone who gets distracted even by the sound of someone humming, knowing the science behind it was satisfying. 🙂
I'm a Cloud DevOps Engineer with attention deficit. When I'm writing code or automating a systems process, I usually have to crank the music in order to kick in my hyper-focus. Once I'm in, I'm in . . .there's no pulling me back out until the task is done. ADD is weird like that.
I find that, with my very leaky sensory gating (most likely due to Autism), listening to music on headphones loud enough to mask most other sounds helps me focus, even to the point that I'm able to ignore the music, that is, as long as I like the music, if I don't it bothers me. I also always sleep with a fan on, usually aimed away from me if it's not too hot, it helps me sleep and ignore otherwise annoying sounds like cars or the house creaking.
Turned out you can come across relevant studies in your field on ScienceTube! Thanks Scishow Psych I needed that blast paper
This is really interesting. We have ADD and a dissociative disorder. Some of our alters are leaky and some are better at blocking out distractions. Most of us find that listening to music (generally lofi or basic instrumental without lyrics) does generally help, though there are days that nothing is able to help, and some alters find that music makes their sensory gating more leaky. Interesting stuff, and nice sweater! - Ian
At first I was thinking I draw better in a coffee shop than at home, until you mentioned creativity. Now when I think about it, I need to start and solidify my ideas without distractions; it's the more mechanical follow through that I like to do with some low-level distractions.
You have a great voice for media.
I love that sweater!!
As a productive participant of the ADHD gang, music actually increases my focus: specially percussive, without lyrics.
Also it can depend in the tasks being worked on and volume of the background. For instance I can have music going when doing math or coding but if i am reading something (like scientific articles) the lyrics will compete with the words I'm reading. Essentially, my mind's voice can only handle one stream of words at a time so if i have the lyrics too loud (or just people talking loudly) it can make it hard to focus in on the correct string of words. It probably doesn't help that i think mostly in words so even doing math i have a stream of words narating everything. My perfect balance has peak productivity, but also noticing that i am missing sections of songs because the music overpowers the background but is low enough to not be distracting.
Whether I can block out sounds or other sensory input varies a lot for me. I think it has to do with my PTSD and how overwhelmed I am at any given moment. If I'm calm and relaxed, I can work with noise just fine and I even enjoy it. But if I'm feeling overwhelmed or triggered, suddenly I notice every noise and sensation and I need total silence to do anything.
i admire your creativity 🤩guys keep going 😘🤩💚
Nice sweater, Brit!
I do live painting at music shows, and I learned that I can only take a painting I’ve already gotten started and just do work on that instead of try and start something new. Idk what that means, I always listen to audiobooks or electronic/industrial music when I paint at home. When I do murals I wear headphones and listen to hip hop.
1. I need music while I'm working to drown out background when around other people or to drown out the silence when alone, and 2. The music must be acoustic string instrumental, or in a language I don't comprehend (usually SA Spanish), or a song I am so familiar with that the lyrics still have their emotional affect without me even registering the lyrics. Being surrounded by novel conversation is challenging as my brain is taking in all the conversations simultaneously, and silence means I'm going to be hearing the blood rushing around near my hearts, and my heartbeat and breathe, which is somewhat stressful
Oddly, I have very leaky sensory gating when it comes to music, especially music with lyrics. It's pretty much impossible for me to focus on another task, especially one involving writing or reading, when music is playing. I'm very capable at tuning out conversations, though. In fact, I focus very well with slightly muted crowd noise, which is why I do my best work in crowded cafeterias with unplugged headphones on. Since I started quarantine I've learned to replace that cafeteria noise with podcasts. For some reason I focus very well when I work through other people talking. I completely shut out the conversation and get great work done.
I can pretty much filter out everything but cats. I will be working away while pandemonium reigns around me but, as soon as a cat appears, work takes a back seat while cuddles ensue.
Loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove your sweater!!
I've noticed that different activities influence my attention. Like if I'm writing a paper for a class, going to a coffee shop helps, but if I'm working on a technical computer lab assignment, I need headphones with more relaxing music
It depends on the type of work If I need a focused dialogue going on in my head to work something out, like with writing or creative work, it helps to have white noise over music
I find my ADHD issues overrides everything. I need "micro-distractions" to remain productive. I have to listen to music while studying. I need people around me to micro-distract me to write. I need music playing to drown out the world to concentrate, but then I get wound up if I concentrate too long, so I need people talking or doing things to distract me. Which is why I'm hating not being able to stay in a coffee house and write for hours upon hours. I'm just not productive at home with all the temptations of not writing, but not enough distractions that I don't care about enough to engage. Does that make sense? People are wired weird.
Not weird at all! I’ve also got ADHD and I know exactly what you mean. Have you tried listening to some ambient soundscapes?
I guess I have attention deficit disorder too :(
@@B_Skizzle I do when I relax a bunch.
My chartered account teachers warned us we'd likely never be able to guarantee a silent environment so they gave us practice on working with noise, even having a secretarial course in the next room with open doors. It definitely paid off though now I find I almost need the noise/music/etc to focus, it's like it engages some level of my mind/thoughts, freeing up the rest for just work.
Advice for people: try listening to beats or instrumental music since Vocal Music seem to distract even more But it depends on you what methods works for you best
TBI likely fits in smwhr. I formerly had no problems grasping material, concentration, tast performance, etc pre-head injury, but after sounds we’re not only a distraction that prevented/limited my concentration/understanding, some are a discomfort, and some prevent a normal life. I used to be able to sleep through loud chaos; now cat paws on carper wake me up!
Really liked this video
I definitely have leaky gating out of the two, but I also often find it easier to focus with controlled distractions, like playing music or podcasts, even though distractions from other people make it very difficult for me to focus.
My method: earplugs and some lowpaced instrumental woo-monger zen music on my headphones. Blocks out all environment noises and the music is so dull my own toughts can easily drown it out.
So this explains how some people around me can function with all sorts of distractions around, where I become basically a useless lump of flesh in such situations. What flabbergasts me is that some people (including one in my household) seem to _need_ distractions in order to function. Things such as drafting a research proposal with the TV at full volume, or watching a TV show (again at full volume) and watching a viral video on the phone _at the same time._ And judging from a Facebook post by one of my friends, apparently these people are unaware that there are other people in this world who _don’t_ need distractions in order to function.
I can't tell whether I'm a leaky or a selective. I'm able to cancel out white noise and focus on one source. But I'm not the type who can focus on work in public places like coffee shop, as I tend to always be at constant awareness of my surrounding. That feeling of being watched or nearby potential danger lurking around the corner is always there.
I definitely think I’m more selective gaited. I like subtle sounds, and always always always listen to piano music or my favorite songs while I work on the computer. Today I took my MAPS test and when given a choice, I stayed in the class. I guess sound helps me think, because if it’s silent I tend to complicate things. Anyways... this was all very very interesting!
Love your Jersey! Go Gryffindor!
When needing to hash thru mathematic calculations, like math & physics courses in college, it was always easier, took me less time, was easier to concentrate & stay on task while listening to metal music. I did much more poorly when i wasnt able to. It was only metal, specifically industrial metal, that put me "in the zone", so to speak. I do have ADD btw. Songs w lyrics helped a lot more than just instrumental industrial. I listened to english & german metal. Native english speaker & amateur in german, so i could also somewhat understand the german lyrics.
It depends on what you consider work... - For computer work, I can’t focus that well and I’ll tend to lose track of where I left off and/or lead me to more typos than I normally would. - For manual labor work, music helps me focus and is kind of a energy booster. Same reason people listen to music while working out.
I literally always listen to music while working. It helps me focus and drowns out and background noises or anything similar.
I think for most people who use music it's an emotional support issue that allows them to focus better. While maybe not peak concentration helps especially if the task at hand is dull or obligatory. Gating isn't just about the external world.
I thank you guys, and the algorithm, for showing me why I sucked at jobs where I had to deal with shitty sound quality (call center & transcription)
Recently diagnosed with ADHD and "high functioning" autism. I have to choose between music and work. I have to completely stop working when someone talks to me, and I get annoyed with others who keep working while I talk to them. Etc. It's been a bumpy ride!
if I'm in public and there's lots of noises and conversations going on, I put my headphones in and listen to music to block out the other noises. it really helps. but if I'm alone it might not help.
I get it, i need to focus more on the task, be dexter at it and use my creativity to improve the things i learn. Only that relaxing music so can improve what i learn much more faster. Anyway thanks to the guys in the youtube algorithm who put this video for me, was very usefull.
Are you sure that "leaky gating" isn't actually just correlated to (and possibly caused by) stress? I'm surely more sensitive when I'm feeling stressed and less sensitive when I'm relaxed.
The intro is quite funny because I used to work at a coffee shop with music blaring and super high energy environment where I performed very well! And LOVED MY JOB. But, when it comes to sitting down and studying or taking a test or doing something that requires processing not just muscle memory I CANNOT have music playing or people talking or I will not be able to focus. (Haven’t watched the whole vid just think I fit into both scenarios quite well)
I appreciate your sweater.
I worked in a clothing factory. I'm not sure how the music affected my work (I sewed waistbands on jeans), but I was definitely a lot grumpier when country music was playing versus rock music.
I tend to get more done in one hour of listening to EDM than 8 hours of working in near silence. Puts me directly into a flow state and keeps me there. I don't even think this is a sensory gating thing, if people are talking around me I can't focus for a second - but give me my music, and I'm a different person.
Military contractor here. Hopefully, I can improve my focus and adjust my sensory intake through a mindfulness exercise. I have been intending on starting these exercises and this video has given me a bit of inspiration to improve my concentration.
Music helps me to focus... I don't usually like silence but I also hate noise, especially loud or people's voice (but like in a class, not in a song) Music even helps me to sleep or to read!!
I have an easier/harder time working with music depending what's playing. If it's a song I really like, I'm gonna end up just wanting to pause and enjoying the music. It also helps if I'm already in the zone, then, I'm not even paying attention to the music.
to add another ADHD perspective: i've noticed that i liked listening to music while i did homework (reading, writing, math, but especially writing, actually) because my brain is prone to get distracted by 1) too much sound and 2) not enough sound. when i listen to music, i can control exactly what i'm listening to, which is almost always songs that i already know 100% of the lyrics to. my brain is *already* always playing music that it knows well, so giving that section of my brain structure, pace, and stimulation frees up the rest of my brain to come up with words without getting distracted by The Sounds Of The World. music also helps my focus stay on understimulating work (i.e., monotonous math review or reading something that i find deeply uninteresting/boring). but with New concepts, like in a classroom or when doing mentally engaging math problems, music would destroy my sense of focus.
I'm not exactly sure where I would fit in, but with a couple certain tasks like writing a long paper in a class, I either put calm piano music on a very low volume or zero sounds at all.
Okay, but what if you're both? Sometimes, while I'm working, listening to music doesn't bug me and some times it does.
Bill Wurtz: How bout I do it... anyway?
You could make a religion out of that.
What about people who seem to have both? When I'm in a generally quiet space, the slightest bit of sound can distract or set me off, not very fun taking tests when the kids sitting next to me's breathing is distracting me, or the other kid's pencil scratching. On the other hand, I'm perfectly fine in very noisy and crowded areas, I usually managed to work on homework way faster in the school cafeteria than I ever did at home.