Music and Focus
A central theme is the use of specific genres and types of music, particularly electronic music, to enhance focus and productivity, especially for tasks like coding. Individuals seem to have personalized preferences.
- "I do the same. It is strange how psytrance/goa helps as external noise to drown out other distractions and so focus can be rationed." - tomrod
- "I can recommend dub techno for coding, works a treat for me at least. Nice and steady, relatively fast tempo but not too aggressive or intrusive. And crucially, no lyrics, which I find distracting when coding or writing." - edvald
- "Otherwise agree with psytrance / goa mixes. Techno can be good too if you are tired (eg: Sara Landry, 999999999). Trance can help to uplift if you are depressed. Classical to make you feel more ordered.. I love dubstep in my brain but it creates patterns that are counter-intuitive to doing any work — that genre makes me feel “free”." - shironandonon_
- "Related tangent - here's my carefully-curated "flowstate" Spotify playlist consisting of tracks w/ no lyrics and a variety of moods. I pick one that suits me in the moment and put it on repeat. I find it boosts my focus and energy and is very helpful in attaining flowstate, for problem-solving or Cal Newport-style "deep work" sessions." - chrisweekly
Specific Frequencies and BPM
Some users suggest certain frequencies within genres like psytrance may contribute to enhanced focus, referencing the linked article.
- "Yes. The paper found 2.4 Hz frequencies to be the secret sauce which is 144 BPM and in pystrance/goa range. I would guess that is common freq range for lfos and modulations as well." - bradly
Binaural Beats and Brainwave Entrainment
Several comments discuss the use of binaural beats and brainwave entrainment to achieve specific mental states, including focus, relaxation, and even power naps.
- "Binaural beats usage has worked pretty well for me in the past. Maybe think of it as the most pure form music (from a functional perspective) can take." - skeledrew
- "Did this reconfig-by-sound a lot in college using binaural beats. While others use coffee and other chemicals I'd just pop in my earphones and play a beat sequence for whatever the needed purpose, whether extreme focus, a power nap, enhanced creativity, etc. Worked pretty well, though I'd feel nuked for a while after extended usage." - skeledrew
Placebo vs. Real Effects
The discussion raises questions about the extent to which the effects of music and audio treatments are genuinely physiological or caused by the placebo effect.
- "I do still actively wonder what portion of the effects are real vs placebo in audio "treatments". I'm not certain I am sold on things like binaural beats and such, but I do believe that pleasing music that relaxes the brain for a person can be real. It's just highly person dependent. One persons calming effect with hard rock is another person's anxiety source. Would be incredible if it allowed for better understanding of this." - robviren
- "Meanwhile, it's interesting that I do find I can focus deeper on code with certain types of music. I also have certain music I listen to when I want to write a document, such as a PRFAQ or some narrative. I've always assumed I was just "programming" myself for these modes, and the music was reminding me of the mode I was in. Perhaps it's a little of both." - kator
Subjectivity and Personal Preference
The importance of individual preferences and experiences when it comes to the effects of music is highlighted.
- "It's just highly person dependent. One persons calming effect with hard rock is another person's anxiety source." - robviren
The Abstract Nature and Impact of Music
Some comments touch on the abstract and seemingly inexplicable power of music to evoke emotions and influence cognitive states.
- "I was regularly surprised how music could restore 'colors' in my emotions even in the darkest times. Quite mind-blowing that something that looks completely abstract and removed from evolutionary advantage could have so much impact." - agumonkey
- "Sounds cliche, silly, etc. but music really is magic. Such an abstract thing that can produce wide ranges of emotions and even help focus and inspire." - rubicon33
- "“Music is a delight for the soul, an echo of the divine, binding time together—past, present, and future.” -- St. Augustine Music makes your brain work in an interesting way, keeping track of this memory/current flow/anticipation of time in a non-visual and often non-verbal way." - DeadFred
Criticism of the Article
Some users express disappointment with the original article, finding it high-level and lacking in concrete explanations.
- "I don’t know about others but I felt like this article is so high level that it didn’t explain anything at all." - bluechair
Reality, Perception, and Sound
Several users explore philosophical ideas around perception and how sound may be closer to 'real reality' than other senses. They also delve into theories connecting consciousness / qualia and waves.
- "Assuming that we don't perceive "real reality" but rather a complex model of it, they say what we call sound comes closest to real reality." - swayvil
- "This is also direct evidence that qualia/consciousness is made of waves, not computations. The Neural Net "wiring" of the human brain is mostly I/O signal routing for various sensory input data and motor neuron output. The convolutions and special 3D shapes in the brain are actually working more like "resonator" circuits (literally like radios), and I'm convinced even memory is not stored "locally" but spread out across all past brains via entanglement and quantum waves (see. "Block Universe" and/or "Eternalism")." - quantadev
- "We're very literally unable to perceive "real reality" per se. All we can ever perceive are the effects that reality has on our senses, along with any "side-effects" caused by the differences in one person's sensory system compared to another (personalized complex model)." - skeledrew