MYTH: Listening to music while you ...

MYTH: Listening to music while you work or contemplation will keep you dumb.

TRUTH: Playing our favorite music at work makes our motor--and time itself--run faster. We've known that since we first played Stairway to Heaven while puzzling across our algebra. But did you know researchers have actually quantified it? A investigation showed a 10 percent spring in performance and productivity among workers who listened to their favorite music forward the job. But although music boost humor and drowns out chatty colleagues, it can be a distraction when high concentration is demanded. For example, it can overpower out important warnings--like, "Turn against that music, or you're fired!"

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