Classical music from the Baroque period has a positive effect on mood, concentration, perceived diagnostic accuracy, productivity, and work satisfaction of radiologists.

Music has been shown to have a profound effect on the brain.[1,2] In particular, investigators have documented a positive relationship between music, mood, and concentration. Several studies have also shown an improvement in work quality, productivity, and mental clarity.[3,4] This has been mostly verified with classical chamber music from the Baroque period, particularly with regard to works from Mozart, which has been called the “Mozart Effect.”[5,6]

Radiologists often listen to music or other background sounds during image interpretation. However, to our knowledge, there are no studies that have assessed the effect of music on the performance and working environment of diagnostic radiologists. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the impact of classical chamber music from the Baroque period on mood, concentration, perceived diagnostic accuracy, productivity, and work satisfaction.

This is a prospective, multi-institutional study performed at the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Radiologists of varying professional experiences participated in the study, consisting of residents, fellows, and attending physicians. In the study, participants were asked to listen to one hour of classical chamber music from the Baroque period during a typical workday while interpreting radiological studies.

The classical music from the Baroque period was played on a PC workstation, at an ambient volume, via the website Pandora (http://pandora.com), a freely available online music streaming website. Afterward, the radiologists participated in an anonymous online survey, which was devised using an online tool, the results of which were automatically populated onto a spreadsheet.

Participants were asked their age, gender, level of training and experience, whether they have played, or currently play a musical instrument, the average amount of music they listen to per week (in hours), the types/genres of music that they listen to, and the amount of music that they typically listen to during a workday.

In the survey, participants were also asked to rate their mood, concentration, perceived diagnostic accuracy, productivity, and work satisfaction. In this part of the survey, a 7 point scale was utilized with 7 representing the most positive effect, 1 the most negative effect, and 4 representing no effect. As an example, with regard to mood, 7 represented “more relaxed” and 1 represented “more stressed”; for concentration, 7 represented “more focused” and 1 represented “less focused.”

The results of the survey were tabulated on a spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel). The statistically significant differences between subgroups were determined using the unpaired nonparametric Mann-Whitey test. A P value of less than 0.5 was considered statistically significant.

Eight radiologists (between the ages of 27 and 62) participated in the study: 4 were from the University of Pennsylvania and 4 were from the University of Maryland. There were 4 male and 4 female subjects. Of the participants, 4 were residents, 3 were attendings, and 1 was a body-imaging fellow.

Four of the participants indicated that they listened to more than 5 hours of music per week. The other 4 indicated they listened to less than 5 hours of music per week. The participants reported listening to a wide variety of music genres, the most popular ones being Pop, Hip-hop, Classical, and Rock for at least 4 of the participants. Five participants indicated that they listen to classical music, and 3 indicated that they do not. Five people indicated that they “rarely” or “never” listen to music during a typical workday. Two people indicated that they “sometimes” listen to music, and 1 person indicated “frequent” listening of music.

Five (62.5%) participants indicated that listening to music made them “more relaxed,” indicating an overall positive effect with regard to mood. Three (37.5%) participants noted a positive effect with regard to concentration, 2 (25%) productivity, 2 (25%) perceived diagnostic accuracy and, 4 (50%) work satisfaction.

None of the participants indicated a negative effect of music on mood, perceived diagnostic accuracy, productivity, or work satisfaction. Only one (12.5%) participant indicated a negative effect of music on concentration.

An analysis of the subgroups in the study demonstrated that females had significantly greater positive effect on mood than males, with a mean score of 6.0 ± 0.8, compared to 4.3 ± 0.6, respectively (P < 0.03). In addition, there was a significantly greater positive effect on mood for those who play or have played musical instruments, compared with those who have not, with mean scores of 6.3 ± 0.6 and 4.4 ± 0.5, respectively (P < 0.03). Participants who listened to music more than 5 hours per week had greater scores for mood (5.0 ± 0.8) than those who listened for less than 5 hours per week (3.8 ± 0.5), which approached statistical significance (P < 0.06). There were no statistically significant differences from the analysis of the other subgroups.

The positive effect of classical Baroque music on learning, memory, concentration, productivity, and mood has been extensively documented in the literature.[3-6] In this preliminary study, we assessed the impact of classical music from the Baroque period on mood, concentration, productivity, perceived diagnostic accuracy, and work satisfaction of diagnostic radiologists.

All of the participants noted a neutral or positive effect with regard to classical music on mood, productivity, perceived diagnostic accuracy, and work satisfaction. The greatest positive effects were noted with regard to mood and work satisfaction, with 63% and 50% of respondents reporting a positive impact respectively. Only 1 respondent noted a negative effect with regard to concentration, with 3 respondents indicating a positive effect, and 4 a neutral effect.

Classical music had a greater positive impact upon females with regard to mood compared to males, which was shown to be statistically significant (P < 0.03). Moreover, those who played or play musical instruments also received a greater benefit in regard to mood compared to those who have not played musical instruments (P < 0.03). Music was shown to improve concentration in those who listened to music greater than 5 hours a week compared to those who listened to less than 5 hours a week, which approached statistical significance (P < 0.06).

Overall, the preliminary results from this study are intriguing, particularly with regard to mood and work satisfaction. The study warrants further analysis with a larger sample size. A limitation of the study is that we did not directly measure those parameters but rather the perception of those by the radiologists. We plan to conduct additonal studies to measure the impact of classical music, other types of music, and other types of ambient background sounds on those parameters.

Classical music from the Baroque period appears to confer the greatest benefit in mood and work satisfaction. All subjects noted a neutral or positive effect of music on mood, productivity, perceived diagnostic accuracy and work satisfaction. There were no negative effects, except for one response in regard to concentration. Females and those who played musical instruments indicated a greater benefit in regard to mood than their respective counterparts. Overall, these results are promising and further research is warranted in a larger study that could serve to confirm the subjective impressions of the participants.

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