The art of meditation has been used to help center the mind for deeper focus for hundreds of years.
Whether to access a heightened state of consciousness, for mental and physical healing, or to master control of the mind to endure hardship, meditation is a powerful life tool that has many proven health benefits (1, 2).
In modern times people use meditation not just to overcome stress and anxiety but to unlock the power of the mind to achieve greater things in life and reach their potential.
Our special music offers the benefits of meditation at the touch of a button. And one key area where our binaural beats music is commonly used is in study and learning in general, be that at college, university or other workplace environments.
The Best Brainwaves for Study & Learning
A question often raised is “which are the best brainwaves for studying and learning”. The short answer to this question is Alpha waves.
But why?
Alpha waves operate between 8-14 Hz. Different frequencies within this spectrum may give slightly different results but in general, within this zone, we see a state of alert relaxation coupled with the ability for high focus and concentration.
This is a state highly conducive to learning.
Many of us find it very difficult to concentrate and “get in the zone” for extensive periods of study.
When I refer to in the zone I'm talking about that state of mind where you are locked into your work and so focused that external distractions such as people talking, passing traffic or the temptation to play on social media or take a break do not disturb your mental space.
It is a beautiful state of being, akin to meditation.
This is the state in which you are able to access your best self. In this zone you are likely to do your best work and retain the most information -because you are completely engaged with what you are doing.
We call this state the “flow state”, or the “zen zone”.
In positive psychology, a flow state, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity (3)
What's interesting is that we seem to go through stages where we are extremely engaged and able to access this stage very easily.
But then there are periods of life where we find it very difficult to get into this state of mind.
We feel agitated and uneasy and become easily distracted by everything and anything.
We will use any excuse to leave our study and work and do something else; usually things that are nowhere near as important as what we've got to get done!
The maybe good reason for this: We may be worried and anxious about something such as work, money or relationships. Or perhaps we are going through a stressful period or experiencing emotional trauma.
The problem is that this state of mind prevents us from doing what we really need to do and ultimately doing the work we need to get down to better our lives. So it's a catch-22 situation.
How Binaural Beats Music Can Help You Study
Of course meditation is a great tool that can help us get back into this state, as is exercise. Both of these things done prior to work can help us settle the mind down and get into a state conducive to studying and learning.
The problem is that these things take effort, and sometimes we are not in the state of mind to make that leap to engage in meditation or exercise.
The other problem is that there is no guarantee that these things will help us, depending on our state of mind.
Moreover, the effect may not be lasting and we may easily become distracted again.
It's for this reason that many people use our Zen Focus recording while they study. This Alpha waves recording entrains the brain to settle into the ‘flow state' for deep, lasting concentration.
Study Extract: Listening to 15 Hz binaural beats during the N-back task activated salient frequency bands and produced networks characterized by higher information transfer as compared to other auditory stimulation conditions (4).
Music in general is a great way to block out external distraction to focus on what you need to do, but the brainwave entrainment properties of binaural beats, coupled with the relaxing properties of the music, create a powerful mental environment within which to study and learn.
Study extract: The participants trained their brains to produce more alpha brainwaves by listening to the relaxing music with alpha wave binaural beats for a duration of 30 min daily. The results showed that the relaxing music has a long-term psychological and physiological effect on soothing the participants, as can be observed from the increase in alpha power and decrease in physiological measures after each session of training (5).
Additionally, we have our Super Brain Power recording, which is specifically geared towards absorbing and retaining information while studying challenging information such as when you are on a course at work, or studying for exams at university, or even just learning a language at home.
Brainwave entrainment in this way provides a natural, safe way to concentrate deeper for longer.
How Binaural Beats Work
By listening to the recording through headphones the brain state is altered by a process called the ‘frequency response process'.
The brain begins to follow along at the frequency played by the binaural beats in the music, which in this case is Alpha frequency waves.
The mind becomes more relaxed and centered, more honed in on the immediate task and not pulled in different directions by external influences.
Essentially it becomes ready to engage in study, undistracted and “zoned in”. The mind becomes highly receptive to information and ready to soak up knowledge.
In Summary
The expression “focused like a monk” is common for a reason.
If we look across Martial Arts disciplines like Wing Chun and Tai Chi, etc., varying types of meditation techniques are used to induce a state of mental balance, each conducive to high-level concentration and learning, and bodily healing.
This state is something we must achieve the mind and body to make that connection that enables us to operate at peak performance. It doesn't matter whether that is for learning or for performing – the same “zen zone” is required.
The discovery of brainwave entrainment and its subsequent evolvement during the 80s and 90s has taken made it possible to access the benefits of such traditional meditation techniques through an audible medium.
Our further developments in the last 10 years have taken this audio therapy to a higher level of effectiveness.
We know that adults in particular lose their ability to study like they did in their late teens and twenties, and find it a challenge to absorb the large amounts of information required for studying and sitting exams (6).
Our music facilitates the challenges of high-level working and learning for those in the workplace, particularly where study is required for career progression.
Our music also helps students at college/university who face the challenge of extended studying and the requirement to absorb large amounts of information.
All that is required is a pair of headphones.
If you are finding hard to concentrate on your work and be highly productive, or you are finding it hard to study and absorb the information you need, try out our Zen Focus and our Super Brain Power recordings.
