Many people have the habit of playing background music while studying, writing, painting, or engaging in other creative activities. The common belief is that music can elevate mood, spark imagination, and boost creative output. From classical masterpieces by Mozart to the hard-hitting riffs of Metallica, countless individuals enjoy immersing themselves in soundscapes as they work. However, a recent rigorous and international study conducted by psychologists in the UK and Sweden challenges this widespread perception. Instead of enhancing creativity, background music may significantly impair it.
The Research: UK and Swedish Scientists Take on Music and Creativity
Psychologists from Lancaster University, Gävle University, and the University of Central Lancashire collaborated on this study to explore how music affects creative problem-solving, particularly verbal creativity. Creativity is often viewed as a complex cognitive process requiring focus, working memory, and innovative thinking. To test their hypothesis, the researchers designed controlled experiments where participants solved verbal insight problems under varying auditory conditions.
Participants were asked to complete specific word puzzles meant to stimulate associative and creative thinking. For instance, they were given three words such as dress, dial, and flower, and tasked with finding one word that relates to all three — like "sun," which combines into sundress, sundial, and sunflower. Such puzzles require flexible thinking and the ability to connect seemingly unrelated concepts.
Quiet vs. Music: The Experiment Setup
The key aim was to measure participants' performance both in silent environments and while listening to different types of background sounds. The team tested three categories of music: Music with unfamiliar lyrics, Instrumental music without lyrics, Music with familiar lyrics
Additionally, they examined the effects of non-musical ambient noise resembling typical library sounds, which are often used as a quieter alternative to music.
Findings: Music Consistently Hinders Creative Performance
Strikingly, in all cases where music was played, participants’ ability to solve verbal insight problems suffered significantly compared to quiet conditions. Background music, regardless of the presence or absence of lyrics or familiarity, impaired verbal creativity. On the other hand, ambient library noises produced no measurable impact on participants’ performance.
Dr. Neil McLatchie from Lancaster University, a co-author of the study, explained that music likely disrupts verbal working memory, the mental workspace essential for holding and manipulating words during creative tasks. This interference hampers the cognitive flow needed to generate novel connections, thus stifling creativity.
Importantly, even when participants enjoyed or were accustomed to the music played, their creativity was still negatively affected. This finding challenges the assumption that “positive” or “motivational” music can enhance productivity or creative output during work.
Why Does Music Disrupt Creativity?
To understand why music might have this effect, it helps to consider how the brain processes sound and language. Verbal creativity heavily relies on internal dialogue and the ability to hold multiple linguistic ideas simultaneously—functions managed by verbal working memory.
Music with lyrics forces the brain to process language from an external source, effectively competing with the inner verbal rehearsal necessary to solve word puzzles creatively. Even instrumental music can distract by demanding attention to complex melodies and rhythms, diverting cognitive resources.
Conversely, ambient background noises like those in a library are often steady and predictable, producing less interference and allowing for a “steady state” of concentration. These subtle sounds can even provide a low level of stimulation that helps sustain attention without disrupting cognitive processes essential for creative thinking.
Broader Implications for Work and Study Habits
This study raises important questions about common practices in workplaces, schools, and home offices where music is often played to maintain motivation or block out distractions. While music might improve mood or simply make tedious tasks more bearable, it might not be beneficial during activities requiring verbal creativity, such as writing, problem-solving, brainstorming, or language learning.
The research suggests that tasks involving analytical thinking, complex problem-solving, or creative language use may be best performed in quiet environments or with neutral, non-distracting background sounds rather than music.
What About Other Types of Creativity?
Though this study focused on verbal insight tasks, creativity is multifaceted and includes various forms such as visual creativity, musical creativity itself, or physical arts. There is some evidence that certain types of music may aid creative performance in other domains, especially where mood and emotion play a larger role.
Yet, for activities heavily dependent on verbal memory and cognitive flexibility, like writing, editing, or verbal brainstorming, this research indicates that music can be counterproductive.
Practical Tips Based on the Study
For professionals, students, and creatives who rely on verbal creative thinking, the following tips could help optimize work environments:
Choose silence or ambient noise: When tackling verbal and linguistic tasks, work in quiet spaces or use non-distracting ambient sounds, like natural white noise or consistent library-like hums.
Reserve music for breaks: Listening to music might be better suited for relaxation or unstructured creative time, not during focused verbal tasks.
Experiment with individual preferences: Some people may tolerate or even prefer certain background sounds, but it’s important to be aware that music often disrupts verbal creativity.
Limit multitasking: Avoid combining music with cognitively demanding verbal tasks to reduce interference in working memory.
Conclusion: Rethinking Music’s Role in Creativity
This UK-Sweden study puts a spotlight on a surprisingly counterintuitive idea: background music, even music loved and familiar to the listener, can actually hinder verbal creative processes. It challenges popular culture’s association of music with creativity and reminds us how the brain’s intricate workings require careful conditions for different types of tasks.
Whether you’re a writer trying to craft a novel, a student preparing an essay, or a professional brainstorming new ideas, these findings suggest revisiting how you use music in your workflow could deliver better results. Sometimes, silence—rather than sound—might be the ultimate creative companion.
