Study Better. Scientifically.

Finals week. Projects are due. Lengthy works cited papers are looming. You’re dreading the massive tests that lead to hand cramps.

There are ways to reduce stress, study better and ace those tests. And they’re backed by science.

MUSIC: It turns out that music does help your brain expand and create new pathways. Well, some music does. Much has been made of the so-­called "Mozart Effect" but it applies to most classical music of that era. Bach, Beethoven and other Baroque composers were also able to find the sweet spot in the music. There are some studies that think this can be applied to modern music like film scores.

In all cases, the key is no lyrics. The use of words distracts the language part of your brain from focusing on whatever you’re studying. Even an instrumental version of a song that you know the words to can do that.

Try a streaming internet radio site and choose one of the main classical composers. Let the radio do the work for you. There’ll be no distraction but it keeps that part of your mind calm while you study.

NOISE: This is kind of related to music, but in a different way. If you don’t like classical music but just can’t tune out the noise around you, try an ambient noise generator. These work in a similar way to the music, activating a part of your brain while leaving most of it to concentrate on studying. Coffitivity plays coffee shop sounds, RainyMood is, well, rain, and Sounddrown lets you pick from ten different soundscapes. There is a ton of scientific research on sound masking and it’s being put into use in offices and public spaces everyday.

LOCATION & MOVEMENT: Science says don’t sit in one place for several hours. Choose varying places to study. Even a different table in the same building can make a difference. According to an article in the New York Times, “simply alternating the room where a person studies improves retention. So does studying distinct but related skills or concepts in one sitting, rather than focusing intensely on a single thing.”

That goes for sitting anywhere for too long. Just 15-­20 minutes of a jog or a walk can improve learning and retention. Cramming is not nearly as effective as incremental studying. Study for 45 minutes, take a 15-­minute break, then come back to it. And pulling an all-nighter has been shown to result in lower grades, not higher. Breaking it up into blocks and giving yourself a practice quiz were the most effective studying habits found by the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest (highlighting was the least effective, if you were wondering).

INTERNET DISTRACTIONS: It happens to the best of us. All good intentions go out the window when there is a cat video on Facebook. Try something called FocalFilter. It’s a free program that lets you create a list of distracting websites then set a timer for blocking them. This is a great way to integrate the timing of your study blocks. For 45 minutes you know that the internet distractions are blocked. But you also know that you will have a break during which you can check in on your favorite time-­‐wasters.

And if you just can’t stay off the web, try StudyBlue. It’s a web-­based and mobile app that uses the format of study cards to help you retain information and identify what you still need to work on. Professors can even upload their own deck of flashcards to help students learn the material.

All the science confirms that concentration and retention happens best when learners are relaxed and in a calm environment.

Good luck on your exams.