Should you listen to music while studying?

Music, soundtracks and noise while studying or working.

Axis: no music, per the evidence … instrumentals or soundtracks

Answers by date: 2 records in 2 sources, newest first; the answers above are the current ones. The advice was refined (2018), never reversed, in these records.

date	who	answer	source
2018-05-07	Ali	Ali works only to instrumentals, citing some evidence that lyrics harm retention: his Spotify work playlists hold soundtracks such as Planet Earth, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter; The Greatest Showman has too many vocals.	Live Q&A + Hangout - Bank Holiday vibes - Ali Abdaal, Cambridge medical student 00:30:25
2018-03-24	Ali	On music while studying, Ali says instrumentals are okay and music with lyrics is worse, but if music motivates you to work, that probably outweighs the drawback.	Exam Revision Tips with Ibz Mo 00:14:53