7 min read
Music is one of the most common additions to a study or work session. Open any productivity forum or ADHD community and you will find extensive discussion about what to listen to during a pomodoro timer session. The recommendations vary widely, from lo-fi hip hop to classical music to complete silence.
The research on music and cognitive performance is more specific and more nuanced than most recommendations suggest. Some types of audio reliably help. Others reliably hurt. The difference comes down to what the brain does with sound while simultaneously trying to do focused work.
The most important finding to start with is that music with lyrics consistently impairs performance on tasks that involve language processing. A study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology by Nick Perham and colleagues found that reading comprehension and serial recall were significantly worse when participants listened to music with lyrics compared to silence or steady-state noise.
The explanation is straightforward. Language processing uses the same cognitive resources as reading and writing. When the brain receives linguistic input through music, it competes directly with the linguistic processing required for the task. This competition reduces the resources available for focused work.
This applies regardless of whether you enjoy the music or find it motivating. The impairment occurs because of how the brain processes language, not because of subjective experience.
For tasks that do not involve language processing, such as mathematics, visual design, or physical tasks, music with lyrics has less consistent negative effects. The key is whether the task and the audio compete for the same cognitive resources.
Instrumental music avoids the language processing conflict but introduces other variables. Tempo, complexity, and volume all affect cognitive performance differently.
Research on what is sometimes called the Mozart Effect, the idea that listening to classical music improves intelligence, has largely failed to replicate under controlled conditions. A meta-analysis published in Intelligence reviewed the original studies and found the effect was small, short-lived, and likely explained by arousal and mood rather than any specific property of classical music.
What research does support is that moderate arousal improves performance on many cognitive tasks. Music that elevates mood and arousal to a moderate level can improve performance on creative tasks and tasks requiring broad attention. However, highly stimulating or emotionally complex music can push arousal too high, impairing performance on tasks requiring focused, narrow attention.
Tempo is a relevant variable. Research suggests that music with a tempo of approximately 60 to 80 beats per minute tends to be associated with relaxed focus rather than high arousal. Faster tempos increase arousal, which can help with physical tasks but may not benefit sustained cognitive work.
Brown noise, also called red noise, is a type of random noise with more energy at lower frequencies than white noise. It has a deeper, rumbling quality compared to the sharper sound of white noise.
Research on background noise and cognitive performance has found that moderate levels of ambient noise, around 70 decibels, can improve performance on creative tasks compared to low noise conditions. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research by Ravi Mehta and colleagues found that moderate ambient noise enhanced abstract thinking and creativity by increasing cognitive processing difficulty slightly, which promoted more expansive thinking.
Brown noise specifically has been the subject of growing interest in ADHD communities for its reported ability to improve focus. The underlying mechanism proposed is stochastic resonance, a phenomenon where a moderate level of background noise enhances neural signal detection rather than impairing it. The research on stochastic resonance in human cognition exists but is not yet conclusive enough to make strong claims about brown noise as a focus tool specifically.
What is clearer from the existing research is that brown noise is less cognitively demanding to process than music with melody or lyrics, making it a lower-interference background option than most music choices.
Rain sounds fall into a category of natural, non-rhythmic ambient audio. Research on natural sounds and cognitive performance has found consistent benefits compared to urban noise or silence in some contexts.
A study published in Scientific Reports found that natural sounds improved cognitive performance and mood compared to artificial noise. The proposed mechanism involves the autonomic nervous system. Natural sounds are associated with reduced physiological stress markers including lower cortisol and reduced sympathetic nervous system activation compared to artificial or urban noise.
Rain sounds specifically are non-rhythmic, meaning they contain no repeating patterns for the brain to track. This is relevant because rhythmic audio tends to engage more active auditory processing, particularly when tempo or pattern changes occur. Non-rhythmic natural sounds like rain require less active monitoring, leaving more cognitive resources available for the task at hand.
For pomodoro timer sessions, this makes rain sounds a lower-interference option than music for most types of focused work. The background audio fills the acoustic environment without making competing demands on the attention system.
ASMR, autonomous sensory meridian response, refers to a tingling sensation some people experience in response to specific auditory or visual triggers. ASMR audio content has become widely used as a focus and relaxation aid, though the research base is still developing.
A study published in PLOS ONE by Giulia Lara Poerio and colleagues found that ASMR videos reduced heart rate and increased feelings of relaxation and social connection in people who experience the response. Skin conductance measures also showed reduced physiological arousal during ASMR content.
The relevance to focus sessions is indirect. If ASMR audio reduces physiological arousal and stress, it may create a more conducive internal state for sustained focused work, particularly for people who find anxiety or restlessness interferes with concentration. However, direct research on ASMR and cognitive task performance is limited.
Not everyone experiences the ASMR response. For those who do not, ASMR audio is simply quiet ambient sound with no particular benefit or harm documented.
Research consistently finds that silence outperforms music with lyrics for most language-based cognitive tasks. Whether silence outperforms ambient noise such as brown noise or rain sounds depends on the individual and the task.
A study published in the British Journal of Psychology found significant individual differences in the effect of background music on cognitive performance, with introverts showing more impairment from background music than extroverts. This suggests that the optimal audio environment for focused work is not universal.
The practical implication is that silence is a reliable baseline that works for most people on most tasks, while ambient noise like rain sounds or brown noise is a reasonable addition for people who find silence uncomfortable or who work in environments with unpredictable background noise.
Based on what research shows, a practical framework for choosing audio during a pomodoro timer session looks like this.
For writing, reading, or any language-based task, avoid music with lyrics. The competition for language processing resources consistently impairs performance. Rain sounds, brown noise, or silence are better options.
For creative tasks or brainstorming, moderate ambient noise at around 70 decibels may improve performance over silence. This aligns with the Mehta et al. finding on ambient noise and abstract thinking.
For mathematics or logical problem-solving, the evidence is mixed. Some people perform better with stimulating instrumental music, others with silence. Individual testing is more useful than a general recommendation here.
For tasks requiring very high concentration and working memory load, silence or minimal non-rhythmic ambient sound is the most conservative choice. The more demanding the task, the more likely any background audio will compete for cognitive resources.
Rain Pomodoro includes rain sounds, brown noise, ASMR audio, and ambient music options. All run in the browser during a pomodoro session with no separate app or tab needed.
Does music help you focus? It depends on the type of music and the type of task. Music with lyrics impairs performance on language-based tasks. Instrumental music and ambient noise have more variable effects depending on tempo, complexity, and individual differences. Rain sounds and brown noise are among the lower-interference options supported by research.
Is brown noise good for studying? Brown noise is less cognitively demanding than music and avoids the language processing conflict associated with music with lyrics. Research on moderate ambient noise suggests it can support creative tasks. Its specific benefits for studying are not conclusively established, but it is a reasonable, low-interference background option.
Is it better to study in silence or with music? For most language-based tasks, silence outperforms music with lyrics. Whether silence outperforms ambient noise depends on the individual. Research shows significant individual differences, with some people performing better with moderate background noise and others performing better in silence.
What is the best background sound for a pomodoro timer session? There is no single best option for all people and tasks. Rain sounds and brown noise are well-suited to most focused work because they are non-rhythmic, have no lyrics, and require minimal active processing. Silence is a reliable baseline. Music with lyrics is consistently the worst option for language-based tasks.