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Comment by coldtea | Hacker News Reader

To concentrate better at the task at hand? Isn't it obvious?

  Isn't it obvious?

If you ask HN whether it's unprofessional to listen to headphones while working in an open-plan office, I'd expect at least a few posts saying "music doesn't stop me concentrating, in fact it helps me concentrate"

Sure, but the article says "turn the music down," not "turn the music off." I think it's entirely possible for certain types of music at certain volumes to be conducive to concentration, and vice-versa.

That's about putting music as a background and in a situation different than a short-term, need-all-my-concentration for a minute or so task.

Even people who program with music (like me) DO sometimes turn down the music when they want to do some minute task, or hard thinking while programming.

I've never understood people who can do that maybe it's a white noise effect not so much the music I can't do that.

Actually I just realized that's not true I can listen to instrumental music specifically classical just not pop or singing if I am trying to do something like study.

I'm middle aged 45 years-old my concentration is getting bad but classical music is OK all other music and any other noise is not.

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