As early as 2006, researchers at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) found that listening to music while studying had a negative impact on learning. The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to show activity in different parts of the brain. What they found was that while it was possible for people to learn under either condition, multi-tasking resulted in less flexible knowledge. There was also a difference in the types of memory activated under multi-tasking and non-multi-tasking conditions.
The UCLA study found that students who listen to music created a distraction in the brain which caused it to use a region not best suited to understanding and long-term memory. Recalling certain types of information is more difficult. But, try telling that to your average high school or college student. It's not what they want to hear.
In September, 2010, a new study was released by researchers at the University of Wales in Cardiff, United Kingdom, about the impact of studying while listening to music. Participants in the study were tested while listening to various types of music: quiet music, music they liked, music they didn't like. The study showed that performance was worse regardless of what type of music the participants listened to. Subjects such as languages, math and chemistry can be particularly hampered by background music. If a sequence of information is later to be recalled, listening to music will make the task more difficult. Nick Perham and his colleagues at the institute found that to reduce the negative effects of