Today, individuals are being confronted by a situation where one is forced to listen to music whether by choice or without. Music is played in nearly all department stores and super markets. Even whilst walking in the streets, we find cars blaring with music. A study was conducted at Tzu-Chi General Hospital in Taiwan showing scientific evidences. With sixty people aged 60 to 83 that all suffered sleeping difficulties, study lasted three weeks and researchers reported a 35% improvement in length of sleep, sleep quality, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction in those subjects who listened to soft, slow piano music at night. Piano versions of popular “oldies,” New Age, harp, classical and slow jazz proved to be the most effective types of music used in the study.

Music training fine-tunes an individual’s perception of the emotional landscape around him, allowing him greater flexibility in dealing with human relationships.

We know that music can alter your mood. Films have been using musical scores for years to create the right mood for a scene. The music used in films effectively intensified each separate scene, creating a different type of mood. The benefits of background music in the workplace is pretty straight forward and quick to recognize. It generates increased productivity, It generates fewer accidents, It improved alertness, It creates team interactions. HealthDay News recently announced a study exploring whether harmonic sounds are therapeutic for people who suffer from neurological disorders. That makes us wondering wether our brains are tuned to healing frequencies? Popular music is, by definition, music that appeals to many people. You don’t have to know anything about music to like a pop tune - it’s “catchy”. Art music is a catch-all term for any music that is enjoyed by a smaller crowd. In a recent research study, we have discovered that patrons of restaurant spent over £1 each on coffee when classical music was played, compared to only 80p when pop music was played and just 54p when no background music was present. Interesting isn’t it?

While the benefits of using background music should be evident, employers ought to consider the type of music played in a workplace to ensure that the mood and style best fits the workforce and their desired behaviour. It is a win-win process for the employer as well as for the employee.