by Tina Martin

Created on: April 22, 2009

Listening to music while working can be very calming, according to most people I have spoken with. Although a few people stated that there were certain types of music that could be distracting to them (such as hard rock or very lively music), they all agreed that if the music is played soft enough to be considered "background noise", it is soothing.

I decided to do a poll to discover the most common "favorite" for office music, and I found that the results were varied.

40 percent of the people polled enjoyed listening to some type of soft rock while they worked.

25 percent of the people polled found country music to be what relaxed them while they went about their day.

15 percent of the people polled liked to listen to jazz or rhythm & blues music.

10 percent of the people polled preferred some type of classical music, whether it was piano, guitar, or flutes did not matter.

5 percent of the people polled stated they worked best with light music accompanied by nature sounds, such as birds, oceans, forest, rain, etc.

5 percent of the people polled were motivated by music from Disney Soundtracks and other movie theme music.

As you can see, there are a variety of music types listened to in office settings. No matter what style of music each person preferred, the common theme was that they each felt music kept them more focused on their own work, and not listening to other conversations or office noises.

Each person also acknowledged the need to be respectful of others in the office and made a conscious effort to not have their music disturb others while they worked. In fact, one person stated that there were often three or more different stations or music playing at any given time in the office they worked at; each person kept the volume at a level where only they could hear it and claimed nobody around them found it distracting.

I know that for me, I enjoy having some background noise when I work, clean my house, or even when I sit and read. When I am on hold on the telephone it is also more enjoyable to have some music play while I wait, rather than listening to silence. When I clean the car or do yard work, I also feel more motivated when I listen to music.

From the poll I conducted, as well as insight into my personal preferences, I have found that music tends to have more of a calming influence for people at work, rather than a distraction to them.

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