Here is some food for thought before the New Year. Is it good to always be playing music as you go about your day?

I was thinking about that question recently as I zeroed in on the final assignments and tests of the semester and as I looked around the library, I saw that the majority of people had headphones and earbuds in their ears, even when it was a time to study.

Some were possibly noise-canceling, but I know that most of the people were playing some kind of music during a time when they should have tried to pay the most attention to what they were studying. I can only wonder how much better they might be with or without music playing, but I do not see it as beneficial.

The idea is that a playlist with good songs on it can help people focus or distract from other noises so that they can really pay attention to their work. I completely understand that viewpoint and how it can get people in the zone and work better, as opposed to being distracted by all the smaller sounds heard even in a library.

That’s well and good for work, but personally, I know that extending the time spent listening to music or what have you can be quite exhausting. If I always play music during my walks across campus and when I work, and then have it in the background while I relax, it’s too much, no matter how much I may like the song.

It’s the idea of overstimulation that I am worried about. Flashing lights and bright colors are fun to see during a concert, but it would certainly get annoying if they were everywhere. I think that the same thing can happen with our sense of hearing. Giving your ears that kind of extra information to process over the course of a day can be draining, and take away from the enjoyment that you may be trying to get from it in the first place.

I also take some issue with how the music is listened to. Maybe it’s just me, but I need to really pay attention to a song in order to fully understand what is going on. I can’t even think of how many songs that I didn’t realize I actually liked until I really paid attention to what was going on in the music. If you look at your phone a lot during a movie and are not paying attention most of the time, how well can you say that you experienced the movie?

The judgement that you pass on it will be flawed if you weren’t fully engaged.

I don’t want to get into an argument about “turn your brain off” type art, but I think that most art deserves the first few moments of full attention at least before it can go in the back of your mind. There’s nothing wrong with a song that has a good melody and a catchy hook. I just want to encourage giving your ears a break from so much stimulus and really appreciate the songs that you know to hear. Just my thoughts.