Study Music - Day 24 of 30 - Things That Make My Life Easier

Each day I talk about one thing that makes my life easier as a neurodivergent mother raising neurodivergent kids while going back to school full time in my 40s.

Study Music

If you're someone, like me, who can't study while music is playing in the background (because you'll immediately sing along or harmonize, even if you don't know the song), may I present to you Binaural Beats and 432 Hz Study Music.

Binaural Beats

What are they? Here's a definition I pulled from WebMD.

"Binaural beats occur when you listen to two tones of slightly different frequencies, one in each ear, usually through headphones. Your brain perceives a third tone, which is the difference between the two frequencies, creating the illusion of a rhythmic beat. For example, if you hear 440 Hz in your left ear and 444 Hz in your right ear, your brain perceives a 4 Hz beat. This phenomenon is called binaural entrainment."

I don't listen to binaural beats with headphones very often. I mostly just pop on a playlist from YouTube while I'm studying and it works like a charm!

432 Hz Study Music

Now this is interesting. Here's what I found from https://www.serendipitysounds.com/

" 432 Hz has roots in ancient traditions, often associated with harmony and resonance.

440 Hz was adopted as the international standard by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1955, making orchestras and instruments consistent worldwide.

Early research suggests that 432 Hz may do more than just sound pleasant. In one study, listeners reported feeling more relaxed and less tense when music was tuned to 432 Hz compared to the standard 440 Hz. Another study found that it even improved sleep quality, particularly in people who often struggle to rest. More recently, emergency nurses working under high stress during the COVID-19 pandemic showed reduced anxiety when exposed to 432 Hz music.

While more research is needed, these early results point to 432 Hz as a promising tool for stress relief and emotional balance. "

There are a lot of claims online that 432 Hz is more "healing" than the traditional 440Hz. I haven't been able to find any official studies on the first two pages of a Google search to support any of that, but it's obvious it's popular given the fact that there are so many study music playlists on YouTube of 432Hz. All I know is it drones, it's calming, and it doesn't distract me away from my studies. That's all I care about for now.

Are any of y'all music averse? Ironically, this gal (pointing to self), who has had a 20+ year career in the music biz, does not listen to music very often. I prefer silence. Especially when I'm driving - because it helps me see better. Is that weird? My kids hate it, which is why they started wearing headphones in the car pretty early, but it feels like there's only enough energy in my brain to operate one sense at full capacity at a time, and when I'm driving, I need all that energy to focus on the road ahead. This is probably one of the big reasons the baby-daddy and I divorced. He needs electronic dance music on max if he's behind the wheel. My definition of hell. (I'm allowed to write this because the baby-daddy and I are besties, btw.)

Anyhow.

What helps you study?

-Jaren

***Update: February 15, 2026 - a commenter on my YouTube post introduced me to the term soaking music. I'd never heard of it before, but I'm gonna add it to my binaural beats and 432 Hz study music. Thank you, as always, for sharing! I am hear to learn as much as I share, so let's keep the knowledge moving. :)