“And you, what music do you listen to while working?” You’ve probably been asked this question at some point. Everyone has their little habits and musical preferences. And even though music brings pleasure to the ears, when we are at our workplace, it plays a role that goes well beyond mere personal enjoyment.

A bubble of concentration

In a time when remote work reigns supreme, the search for ways to concentrate is very present. Not everyone has the chance to have only the purring of their cat as a distraction. Others have to share their living space with a partner also working, and sometimes even children. If the latter are on vacation, and in a stage of their growth where their energy is at its peak, imagine the effort required to concentrate. Listening to music can, therefore, primarily be a way to isolate oneself. We often say that our colleagues who wear headphones are in their bubble. It helps to dampen other noises that could disrupt our concentration and thus reduce additional stress on top of our work. Who has never been disturbed by the sound of their colleague's chip bag, the frantic dancing of fingers on a computer keyboard, or, if at home, their child having fun destroying Lego constructions?

But listening to music is not just a way to replace one “noise” with another, more melodious “noise”; it mainly plays a positive role when it comes to learning and memorizing new information or knowledge. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences* suggests that there is a link between dopamine and the pleasure we feel when we listen to music that we enjoy. This pleasure allows the brain to secrete endorphins, including dopamine, which helps with concentration. It is no coincidence that since late 2015, the French Athletics Federation has banned all forms of music listening during official races, which it considers a form of doping.
So, you will have understood: to be more effective, plug in your headphones or put on your earbuds, and get into the mood.

Sound strolls from your office

We thus come to the next step: choosing the music. To replace the eternal pop, jazz, and rap hits of the moment, more and more sites offer auditory atmospheres. A “background noise” that allows us to concentrate better. Sometimes even more effectively than a song for some people.

https://asoftmurmur.com to project yourself into a forest, under the rain or in the midst of a storm. Developed by Gabriel Brady, this platform aims to help those who enjoy working in public spaces without having to face overly high decibels. According to him, working in a certain ambiance helps some people concentrate better, and we can only agree.

For all those who miss the atmosphere of the little bar below their home, the site http://www.imissmybar.com will be perfect. Developed and designed by Lagom + Tandem, this site recreates conditions similar to a small café-bar: shakers, conversations, even the ambiance of the city for fans of terrace drinks; Spotify playlist included. Unfortunately, this will not replace the real atmosphere, but in these difficult times, we will settle for it. Be wary of those who think it only offers the “bar” atmosphere, which might encourage more to celebrate the end of the day rather than work. Here, you can adjust the dosage of the different options yourself, and you may feel like you are in a simple little café, where the ambiance is more conducive to work.

A last-minute discovery that made me smile:  https://movies.ambient-mixer.com. For movie fans, this site recreates the atmospheres of several series or films. What could be more effective than working in the Gryffindor common room or in Sherlock Holmes's apartment? If these classic atmospheres don’t attract you much, work inside the Millennium Falcon, in an apartment in Gotham, in Winterfell, or in Bilbo Baggins's house.

And finally, thanks to Claire Gallic for the discovery:  https://soundofcolleagues.com/#, for all those forced to work from home and missing the ambiance of the open space. This Swedish site is a collaboration between the advertising agency Familjen STHLM and the audio branding agency Red Pipe Studios. Experience the gentle sound of the printer, keyboard noises, phone rings, or even the office dog.

If you are looking for auditory and visual escape, the sites https://driveandlisten.herokuapp.com/ and https://www.tree.fm/forest/10 will meet your expectations. In one, navigate your way through the forests of Guatemala, California, or Quebec. Let yourself be enveloped by the sound of birds and leaves under a gentle breeze. In the other, we leave the forest for the city, we find the pleasures of a car ride abroad. What could be more enjoyable than driving and visiting a new city at the same time? Driving has a calming effect for many people. Choose between Rome, Nice, Budapest, Mumbai, St. Petersburg, and many other cities to start your journey. Then immerse yourself fully in the experience thanks to local radio stations.

Speaking of radio, the site https://radiooooo.com/ is a little gem. Developed by Benjamin Moreau, this site is a journey through the world and through time. Go listen to music from Ukraine in the 80s, or the Cameroonian playlist from the 20s. Everything is possible! Just select a country and a date, and the radio starts playing. Sometimes a few ephemeral and unusual playlists appear, such as the Titanic playlists, Wonderland, or “No Plastic”.

These sites are simple, but they have the merit of being effective. No need to try too hard; the essentials are already there. And that's what we love. If despite everything, you enjoy switching between ambient sound playlists and the latest Miley Cyrus, Spotify meets your demands. Spotify has created playlists specifically for work: “working from home,” “intense studying,” or “workday lounge.” If a giant of music streaming offers this type of playlist, it’s because the demand is very real. 

So enjoy listening, and good concentration.

*The study “Dopamine modulates the reward experiences elicited by music” written by Laura Ferreri, Ernest Mas-Herrero, Robert J. Zatorre, Pablo Ripollés, Alba Gomez-Andres, Helena Alicart, Guillem Olivé, Josep Marco-Pallarés, Rosa M. Antonijoan, Marta Valle, Jordi Riba, and Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells. https://www.pnas.org/content/116/9/3793