For generations, music has been a reliable soundtrack, even as times (and people) keep changing. And while the styles have changed, too, from the early rock and roll that Boomers lived by to the gangsta rap and grunge that haunted the forgotten Gen Xers. A paper in Frontiers in Psychology, explores how young adults, with and without symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), use background music to navigate daily tasks.
Specifically, the research exposes dramatic differences in how these groups lean on music, especially during cognitively demanding activities. The paper also provides insight into music’s perceived influence on emotional regulation, focus, and even stress.
Led by researchers Kelly-Ann Lachance, Pénélope Pelland-Goulet, and Nathalie Gosselin at the University of Montreal, the study surveyed 434 participants between 17 and 30, half of whom screened positively for ADHD using a standard self-report scale. Participants reported how often they listened to music during various activities and described what music they preferred.
