Want to beat a man at board games? Put some AC/DC on: Researchers find Mozart helps males play, but rock distracts them - while music has no effect on women

  • Study found classical music can enhance a man’s performance in board games
  • But, they also found that listening to AC/DC would have the opposite effect
  • The music had no effect on women, who performed better at the game overall 

By Cheyenne Macdonald For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

Listening to Mozart could help men boost their chances in board games, but they still may be no match for women.

A new study has found that classical music can enhance a man’s performance when playing board games, while listening to AC/DC will have the opposite effect.

But for women, music was found to have no effect on gameplay – and they performed better overall. 

A new study has found that classical music can enhance a man¿s performance when playing board games, while listening to AC/DC will have the opposite effect. But for women, music was found to have no effect ¿ and overall, they performed better at the game. Stock image

A new study has found that classical music can enhance a man’s performance when playing board games, while listening to AC/DC will have the opposite effect. But for women, music was found to have no effect – and overall, they performed better at the game. Stock image

WHAT THE STUDY FOUND 

According to the researchers, the study suggests rock music could cause more auditory stress – a state triggered by loud or discordant music – in men. 

Those who listened to AC/DC were slower and made more mistakes compared to those who listened to Mozart or the sounds of a theatre.

Men who played with Thunderstruck in the background had an average of 36 mistakes, while the Sonata and theatre noises caused 28.

The volunteers each took roughly one minute to complete the task of removing three body parts.

For women, however, the music had no effect on performance or speed.

And while they took longer to complete the task, they made fewer mistakes.

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According to the researchers from Imperial College London and the Royal College of Music, listening to classical music could help men concentrate on tasks.

For the study, the team asked 352 visitors at the Imperial Festival, an annual science celebration, to play the game Operation.

In the game, players must ‘operate’ on a patient known as Cavity Sam and use tweezers to remove objects from his body.

But if the tweezers touch the metal sides, his nose will flash red and the game will buzz.

The researchers modified the game to track time and the number of mistakes, and gave volunteers headphones that played one of three tracks – Andante from Sonata for Two Pianos by Mozart, Thunderstruck by AC/DC, or the sound of an operating theatre.

The experiment revealed that the music had differing effects on male players.

Those who listened to AC/DC were slower and made more mistakes compared to those who listened to Mozart or the sounds of a theatre.

Men who played with Thunderstruck in the background had an average of 36 mistakes, while the Sonata and theatre noises caused 28.

The researchers modified the game to track time and the number of mistakes, and gave volunteers headphones that played one of three tracks ¿ Andante from Sonata for Two Pianos by Mozart, Thunderstruck by AC/DC, or the sound of an operating theatre

The researchers modified the game to track time and the number of mistakes, and gave volunteers headphones that played one of three tracks – Andante from Sonata for Two Pianos by Mozart, Thunderstruck by AC/DC, or the sound of an operating theatre

The volunteers each took roughly one minute to complete the task of removing three body parts.

For women, however, the music had no effect on performance or speed.

And while they took longer to complete the task, they made fewer mistakes.

According to the researchers, the study suggests rock music could cause more auditory stress – a state triggered by loud or discordant music – in men.

They also found that musical tastes played a role as well.

When volunteers were asked their preferences, the researchers found that Mozart only reduced the number of mistakes for people who reported high levels of appreciation for the Sonata they listened to.

The experiment revealed that the music had differing effects on male players. Those who listened to AC/DC were slower and made more mistakes compared to those who listened to Mozart or the sounds of a theatre. Stock image

The experiment revealed that the music had differing effects on male players. Those who listened to AC/DC were slower and made more mistakes compared to those who listened to Mozart or the sounds of a theatre. Stock image

The research from the Centre for Performance Science is published in the Medical Journal of Australia’s Christmas issue, where it has won the top prize for quirky, yet scientifically rigorous, research.

‘Although this study is clearly tongue-in-cheek, and was all performed in our spare time, it is part of our wider research into the effect if music on performance – particularly in a medical setting such as an operating theatre,’ said lead author Daisy Fancourt.

‘One of our areas of research is how we can boost performance in many different settings – from rowing in the Olympics, to a musical performance or delivering an important speech.

‘This study suggests that for men who are operating or playing a borad gma,e rock music may be a bad idea.’ 

 

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