Music & Reading: In Between The Lines

Do you love listening to music while reading? If so, have you ever wondered how this affects the reading experience? Are you reading faster or slower from this? How does this affect reading comprehension?

Your thoughts should be focused and you should not let your mind wander.

Poor concentration results in slow reading speed. It also has a negative effect on reading comprehension. If the mind loses touch with the text, then problems arise with memorizing the material being read.

This means that the effect of music on reading speed should be considered in terms of the effect of music on concentration. You need to understand if the music distracts you while reading or, on the contrary, helps to achieve better concentration.

It should be noted that the human mind can only work effectively on one task at a time (with the exception of examples of individuals). For example, if you are reading something and at the same time are talking on the phone, then, most likely, the reading speed will be impaired, you will have difficulty memorizing the text, and the telephone conversation will not be the most successful. If you want effective reading, then you shouldn’t be on the phone during this time.

If the music we listen to while reading begins to distract us in such a way that we pay more attention to it than to the text, then the reading efficiency will obviously suffer. If the music is just a background and does not occupy your attention while reading, then it will not be a distraction.

Much depends on your personality whether its listening to rock on Spotify, or something from Youtube using convert mp3 turning things from video to audio. Some people find that listening to music helps them in the reading process, while for others it can have the opposite effect.

Background music can create a more comfortable reading environment for them.

In any case, the music should not attract enough attention to make you want to listen to it. It only needs to create the right atmosphere for reading. It’s good if this music also has a relaxing effect. Obviously, heavy metal would not be the smartest choice in this case. Nature sounds, for example, are perfect for thoughtful meditative reading.

You may be tempted to listen to music when you are in a noisy environment while reading, such as in the office, when other people are talking loudly on the phone or talking to each other. You can put on headphones and the music can help you isolate yourself from background noise.

Headphones can also be useful in situations where colleagues often distract you over trifles. If people see you wearing headphones, then most likely they will only bother you if there is a serious problem. Obviously, to find out what effect background music has on your reading performance, you need to try reading something with and without music.