Your productivity playlist isn't lying to you after all

Whether it’s lo-fi beats to work to, or that Spotify playlist that you love, science shows the claims are true.

For many people, music can be more than just entertainment – it can be a tool for focus, a background companion for work, and a buffer against distraction. Streaming platforms like Spotify are capitalizing on the trend for music that can help focus working, offering playlists marketed as “deep focus” or “workflow” soundtracks, designed to enhance concentration and productivity.

Workflow music has seen a particular pickup in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many people to work from home – a place where colleagues and cubicle mates won’t get angry if you have a constant hum of background music to improve your productivity.

The idea that this music works has long been questioned.

But a new study, published in PLOS ONE, suggests it stands up to scientific scrutiny. It explores how different types of focus-enhancing music impact mood and cognitive performance, revealing that not all background music is created equal.

Sweet sounds of success

Researchers from Georgetown University, Stanford University, and New York University conducted a study with 196 participants, testing the effects of commercially available “focus music” on mood and processing speed.

To determine how different types of focus-enhancing music affected work performance, researchers gave participants one of four background audio conditions while they completed a cognitively demanding task known as the flanker test.

Some were played workflow music from a music therapy app, while others listened to music labeled as deep focus enhancing from a mainstream streaming service. A third group was played a selection of top-charting pop songs, while a fourth listened to white noise equivalent to a simulated workplace background soundscape.

Each participant completed a six-minute task that measured their selective attention and processing speed while listening to their assigned audio. Participants’ mood was assessed before and after the test using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), a standard measure of emotional state.

Workflow works

Surprisingly, the results revealed a clear winner when it came to improving productivity and mood: workflow music. Unlike deep focus music, popular music, or office noise, participants who listened to workflow music experienced an improvement in mood and an increase in response speed over time, all without sacrificing accuracy.

“Despite similar marketing claims, only workflow music led to significant and positively correlated improvements in both mood and cognitive performance,” the authors wrote.

What made workflow music different? The study’s analysis of the musical features suggests that it followed a structured pattern: strong rhythmic elements, simple tonality, and moderate energy levels, all of which trigger the “arousal-mood theory” of music’s cognitive impact. By maintaining engagement without being overly distracting, such music seems to support sustained attention and better emotional well-being.

“Despite similar marketing claims, only workflow music led to significant and positively correlated improvements in both mood and cognitive performance.”

Good mood feeling

The study also found a link between mood and cognitive performance. Those who reported a greater mood improvement after listening to workflow music also exhibited faster reaction times as the task progressed – suggesting music played a role in regulating emotions and improving cognitive efficiency.

The positive effects of workflow music were shown independent of participants’ baseline anxiety levels. “The beneficial effects of workflow music on mood and performance were robust across individuals with varying levels of psychological distress,” the researchers noted – meaning those who suffer from stress could also benefit.

With millions of people relying on background music to enhance their productivity, these findings offer valuable insights into how to improve one’s work environment. And it’s likely to result in another surge in interest in workflow music in order to boost output.