The effects of self-choice of background music on sustained attention to response task engagement:

Self-choice of background music increases motivation to the task

Abstract

Previous studies are inconsistent on whether or not background music (BGM) affects task engagement, and what kind of BGM is better. One reason for this is the complex and diverse factors associated with BGM, such as tempo and emotional valence. We focused on the self-choice of BGM as a simpler factor and examined its effect. We compared sustained attention to response task engagement in three BGM conditions during the task: self-choice, randomly chosen, and no BGM. Participants created the BGMs in advance, using AI composition tools. We analyzed data from 65 university students. The results showed no difference in task performance. However, subjective concentration was higher in the no BGM condition than in the other conditions. Further, enjoyment was higher in the order of self-choice, randomly chosen, and no BGM conditions. By self-choice of BGM, participants enjoyed the task and maintained their performance, with low awareness of concentration.