Music in industry

Abstract

A brief review of the literature leads to the conclusion that "… no highly significant or conclusive research has been published concerning the effect of music on output or health of workers in industry." Some generalizations are possible. Music seems to relieve boredom and to facilitate socializing. There is general agreement that music may increase contentment of the worker, improve output, and lessen fatigue. The following also seem indicated: (1) Workers believe that music is helpful in their feelings during work. (2) Music is most often appreciated by workers at repetitive manual tasks. (3) It hinders work demanding mental concentration. (4) The music should be presented only for comparatively short periods, perhaps for two or three periods of less than a half hour each; the periods should be chosen after study of fatigue curves. A bibliography of 22 titles is appended. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)