Dean Myler
This project investigated embedding binaural beats into ambient music and how it affects student focus. Informed by previous research in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and holistic medicine, a track was produced to support student concentration during study. Participants were divided into three groups: Group A studied with ambient music containing binaural beats, Group B studied with the same music without binaural beats, and Group C studied as normal. Results showed both music groups reported higher focus than the control group, with Group A achieving the highest average scores. Participants also noted the track helped trigger and maintain a focused state throughout studying.
Binaural beats are an auditory illusion in which two separate pure tones, with a difference in frequencies of no more than 40Hz, are played though the separate left/right channels of stereo headphones. This external stimuli creates the illusion of a pulsating rhythm equal to that of the difference in frequency. Were a subject to play two tones in each ear of 200Hz and 210Hz, the listener would, in theory, perceive a beat of 10Hz.
Many studies point towards an implied application of this illusion, presenting a theory of “brainwave entrainment” in which brain activity matches that of the perceived pulse of the binaural beat.
This project explored whether adding binaural beats to ambient music could help undergraduate students strengthen their focus while studying. Inspired by existing research, the aim was to create a track that felt calming and immersive while also supporting concentration over longer study sessions.
To test this, participants were divided into three groups: one listened to ambient music composed with integrated binaural beats, another listened to the same music without the beats, and a control group studied as they would normally. Over three weeks, participants shared feedback on their focus and study experience. The project aimed to compare these experiences and evaluate whether the combination of ambient music and binaural beats could create a more focused and engaging study environment.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of integrated binaural beats into ambient music on student focus during study.
The results from group A and B, in comparison to the control group C, recorded higher self-reported focus scores. These results signify that the simple intervention of ambient music alone may improve focus during study. As such, ambient music can be considered as an effective means to enhance focus.
Average focus scores between the groups A (binaural beats) and B (ambient track alone), however, demonstrate that this effect of focus enhancement is heightened with the integration of binaural beats, with the highest average focus scores reported by respondents of those in group A.
The results would suggest that the integration of binaural beats into ambient music can grant a positive effect for students struggling with their focus, potentially providing a stronger benefit than ambient music alone.
Research remains promising in the field of binaural beats and their proposed benefits, with various studies indicating evidence of brainwave entrainment, suggesting that binaural beats can present a method of focus enhancement through accessible means. Online streaming platforms that support and upload binaural beats can grant a space for students to enhance their focus in the future. Access to this potential treatment is quite simple as a non-invasive method of supporting focus, requiring only stereo headphones and an appropriate audio source.
Over the course of studies in IADT, I found myself reaching into the different areas of music production and sound. Creative Music production offered broad study opportunities involving studio practices, performance, composition, and synthesis coding. What especially appealed to me, however, was the brain's relation to sound and how we interpret audio stimulants. The study of psychoacoustics. The different ways the human brain has adapted to sound fascinated me, becoming my main interest in my final years of college. This lead me down a path of investigating how we can utilise this observation for potential benefits. My final thesis investigated; the integration of binaural beats into ambient music and its effects on student focus.
