Finals week is quickly approaching, and everywhere I look I see students hunched over studying – usually sporting Air Pods or Wireless Beats. Recently, I have been very curious as to what kind of music is featured on Berkeley students’ study playlists on these gloomy and high-stress days. Is it Bach? EDM? 2010 Pop? SoundCloud rap? For me — shamefully, I’ll add — I can’t really study to anything but the ‘Lo-Fi Beats’ playlist on Spotify. Something about the steady beat and warm saxophone allows me to actually concentrate and destress. 

Psychological research on the correlation between listening to music when studying and academic success is mostly ambiguous. One study conducted by psychologist Rauscher FH in 1993 birthed the term ‘Mozart Effect,’ which claims that listening to Mozart is proven to increase your intellect. The study reported that normal subjects showed significantly better spatial reasoning skills after listening to Mozart’s “Sonata for Two Pianos” for 10 minutes than they did after listening to relaxation instructions or silence. In reality, these effects didn’t last longer than 10-15 minutes and many critics of this study found this to be a complete fallacy. Other studies have concluded that music that puts you in a good mood and isn’t disrupting you is found to be beneficial while studying. 

In reality, the type of music that helps people focus is very subjective. No study playlist is the same.  In order to satisfy my curiosity about what music is blasting in the headphones of Berkeley students, I turned to the editorial team of The B-Side and asked what music can be found in their study playlist. 

“I usually listen to either instrumental stuff (lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Khruangbin)  or stuff I’ve heard a million times (like a lot of the Smiths) so that way I’m not getting distracted by new lyrics. Both just to keep me focused by not letting me listen to the music” – Natalie Gott, staff writer 

“I listen to instrumental smooth jazz when I study!” – Sanjana Sanghani, staff writer

“I really like listening to Ambient Music, Classical Music, Electronic, or Instrumentals. Ambient: Brian Eno, Air, Aphex Twin. Classical: Russians are the move. Electronic: Four Tet, Jai Paul, Polo & Pan, Todd Terje.  Instrumentals: The Deluxe editions of most Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd albums are perfect for studying” – Erika Badalyan, staff editor 

“Lowkey drum and bass bangers keep me focused, High Contrast from the UK is a particular fav artist” – Yaseen El Azzouni, editor-in-chief

“I used to looooove listening to The XX in high school when studying, now I’ll do like Flume, Odesa, or cute lo-fi beats from youtube” – Sunny Sangha, staff editor

“I listen to a lot of movie scores, EDM (Specifically deep house), and music in other languages. Pretty much anything that’s high energy and no lyrics (at least none I can understand)” – Makaila Heifner, managing editor 

“Either The Beatles, The Smiths, or some nice instrumentals like “Scaramouche” by Darius Milhaud or the “Chairman Dances” by John Adams because I study better when I listen to music I know very well. Also New Order” – Stanley Quiros, staff writer  

“Recently it’s been a lot of Sun Ra and Plantasia by Mort Garson” – Kieran Zimmer, staff writer

“The Downton Abbey Soundtrack and/or Harry Potter ones because the piano and cello helps me relax and be less stressed out” – Stephanie Enciso, staff writer 

“I really love listening to minimalistic classical composers – especially Julius Eastman – when I study because I feel like the basic yet beautiful growth of a musical idea helps inspire my own learning.” – Luke Dominick, staff writer

“Lots of Rachmaninov or maybe Breakbeat Hardcore.” – Everett Williams, staff writer

“Movie soundtracks like ‘Twin Peaks’ when I’m reading but more upbeat music when I’m writing like “Novacane” by Frank Ocean.” – Paloma Macias, staff writer 

“Lo-fi beats playlist on Spotify.” – Alice Markman, staff editor 

Wishing all a peaceful and successful finals week filled with good music and study breaks! 

 – Love the B-side Editorial Team <3

Written by Daniella Ivanir 

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