Listening to one’s favorite music while studying for that test tomorrow may not be a good idea.Students performed far better in the absence of music than when they were listening to classical or rock music, according to research conducted on 90 undergraduate students by the Psychology Department at Loyola University in New Orleans.About 25 percent of adults aged 18 to 24 engage in other activities while studying, compared to 53 percent in children aged 12 to 17, according to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll.The Wellness Education Department and the Center of Academic Success suggest the effect of music on studies is a fairly new arena of research.”The literature is inconclusive,” said Jane Cassidy, associate dean and interim director of the School of Music.”On one side, studies show music, or any kind of auditory stimulation in the background, to be a distracter to efficiency and accuracy of memory and recall,” Cassidy said in an e-mail to The Daily Reveille. “The other side is that some people find music helpful in concentrating.”Students such as Megan Lamb, food science junior, said she listens to music while studying because it helps her relax.Other students such as Spencer Cobb, finance sophomore, are more selective. “When I’m reading, it distracts me, but it helps with math,” he said. Melissa Brocato, director of the Center of Academic Success said music’s effect on performance depends whether music is a distraction to students while studying. “If someone is an auditory learner, music might be helpful,” she said.But she also suggested that listening to music with vocals could prove to be a distraction for students.And listening to music at high volumes could be detrimental to hearing.Researchers at the University of Southern Mississippi found more than half the students they tested set their devices to “very loud” levels, putting the students at risk of suffering permanent hearing loss.”Music that is louder commands your attention, rather than softer music that simply blends into ambient sounds,” Cassidy said.Research indicates slow- or medium-paced music, instrumentals, soft music and non-percussion music are the best choices for studying.The Loyola research also found quiet places like the library do not provide the perfect study environment because of loud air-conditioning, talking and other distractions.”Music helps to cancel out the sounds of the library like random noises and people talking,” said Johnny Williams, agriculture business sophomore.—-Contact Sumit Kumar at [email protected].