Hannah writes...

"I know you say not to listen to music while you study, but what about the studies that show a correlation to increased IQ and listening to classical music while you study?"

Gunnar responds below...

Hi Hannah!

You raise an interesting point that suggests an edit for the next edition of Kick Ass in College. The thrust of my comments in the section you reference are intended to discourage music to the extent it is a distraction. Clearly, certain kinds of music may be less distracting than others. Muzak, for example, has been shown to increase productivity in certain settings because of a metronome-like effect it tends to have on workers.

I seem to recall the study you mention regarding classical music. While I am not in a position either to dispute or support these findings, I would not be in favor of this practice if you have a tendency to be distracted by classical music because of an abiding passion for the genre. (In this case the purported IQ benefits are meaningless because you will lack focus as you luxuriate in this or that movement.) If, however, such music tends to be white noise that fades into the background then I'm cool with studying to it. By the way, I find that the more you listen to a specific piece of music or a certain CD, the more it can become akin to sonic wallpaper that you hardly notice. But I still prefer silence as the ultimate backdrop for effective and efficient study.

Best,
Gunnar