Sweatshop to the Oldies

To get your motor running on Monday, play your favorite music at work. University Illonoise researchers have figured out what some of us have known since we first played In-A-Gadda-Davida while trying to change the muffler on a VW Bug—namely that we work better to music. But at least they’ve qualified the benefit. Workers who listened to their favorite music improved their job performance andproductivity by 10 percent in the study. Music, can boost your mood as well as drown out chatty coworkers. But Greg Oldham, Ph.D., Warns that tuning in has limitations. While it benefits workers doing routine jobs the most, it can be a distraction when high concentration is required. Also, it can be dangerous if the music drowns out warnings. Turn that music off or you’re fired! – Jeffrey Csatari