What is it about lo-fi music that gets us in the mood to work?
My introduction to lo-fi was with Lofi Girl on YouTube when the username was ChilledCow and the animation featured Shizuku from Whisper of the Heart studying on loop.
On right: Original animation of Lofi Girl.
Maybe I was at that period of my life where I didn’t want any silence, so when I was about to crack open my textbook, I would search “study music” on YouTube to find Lofi Girl’s profile and play it for hours on end. And I believe this style is well received amongst a diverse audience. For example, I will play lo-fi before a team retrospective because most people enjoy this type of music for working.
The association between lo-fi music and studying/working remains strong. Today, I arrived at a food truck park ready to work (and eat, but surprisingly, there is good wifi here at this food truck park). As I sat down to open my laptop, I heard lo-fi playing through the park’s speakers. Suddenly, a wave of calm flowed through me, and I was even more focused.
I think it’s interesting that my brain has been hacked to be productive when listening to lo-fi music. Although I don’t play lo-fi on an average day, his is one of the music styles that I won’t graduate from anytime soon.
Day 13/100 of the 100 Day Blogging Challenge.