Is lofi good for ADHD?

Music can be incredibly helpful for people with ADHD, but that comes with stipulations. For example, listening to binaural audio, background music without vocals, or chill electronic music like lo-fi hip hop can help ADHDers with focus and concentration.

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It’s 3pm on a Tuesday afternoon. I just took my immediate-release Adderall, my headphones are on, my laptop is fully charged… I’m officially entering full focus mode.

But...

Before I start writing or doing any work, I have to find the perfect playlist! Music and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) very much go hand-in-hand. Music marries structure, rhythm, and timing — and since ADHD often involves challenges with time management, listening to music can sometimes help. Need to focus? Throw some headphones on, play a happy song, and really get into it. On the flip side, maybe you can’t focus because the environment you’re working in is playing music a little too loudly. Like many ADHD topics, the relationship between ADHD and music can be controversial. So let’s explore how music and ADHD actually interact by eliminating the background noise.

TL;DR: Find the jams that work best for you

Music can provide a sense of external structure; used as a landmark in our day to day lives

Music can provide little mood-boosting moments for anyone

Your brain on music

Dopamine levels

Music triggers the pleasure centers in your brain, which ultimately increases your levels of dopamine — the infamous neurotransmitter correlated with happiness and rewards. Dopamine levels are thought to be lower in ADHD brains, so we experience symptoms that can range from emotional dysregulation to hyperactivity. The brain responds to music so quickly that it can anticipate the most exciting peaks in familiar music, and prime itself for an early dopamine rush.

Affected brain regions

Music also activates several other areas in your brain, including:1

The auditory cortex

The motor system

Brain regions responsible for memory storage and recall

Because music interacts with just about every region of the brain, it keeps neuropathways strong, which in turn promotes well-being, enhanced learning, and increased cognitive function. ADHDers often struggle with attentiveness, focus, and keeping track of time, among other challenges. Fortunately, music can help improve focus, problem-solving abilities, and overall mood.

Increased levels of dopamine

Reduced anxiety

Increased focus

Improved stress management

Enhanced memory

Improved awareness of time

Improved social skills

Binaural beats

Have you ever listened to a song and felt the sound travel from one ear to the other?

Binaural beats are a type of auditory beat stimulation that happens when you listen to sounds at a certain frequency with one ear, and a different — but similar — frequency with your other ear. The result?

Your brain translates a sound with both frequencies and tones — or a binaural beat.

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Binaural beat therapy

“Binaural beat therapy” has become an emerging form of sound wave therapy, as well as a self-help treatment route (not meant to replace traditional treatments).

Potential benefits of binaural beat therapy include:

Increased focus, concentration, and motivation

Reduced stress and anxiety

Improved confidence

Better long term memory

Enhanced psychomotor performance and mood4

You can find a playlist of songs with binaural audio here.

Skip it or play it: overview

You can find more detailed reasoning below, but here's the main idea:

⏭️ Skip these:

Music with vocals

Songs you know all of the words to

Songs you don't like

Radio station music

Music from (free) streaming platforms (with ads)

Fast-paced music*

▶️ Play these:

Lo-fi

Music without vocals

Music that's easily tuned out

Ambient music

Familiar (but not too familiar) music

Fast-paced music

*See below for more information

Music with vocals: skip it

If you’re trying to focus, you might find music with vocals to be distracting. This is mostly due to the fact that vocals compete for our attention, which can pull us away from the task at hand. Music without vocals might be more suitable for a deep focus mode (hello, have you heard of the super studious, chill lo-fi girl?).

Your favorite (and least favorite) songs: it depends!

Skip them

Have you ever put on your favorite song while trying to do a task, only to find yourself singing along and dancing, and not doing said task? Try to avoid songs you know all of the words to if you actually want to get things done. On the other end of the spectrum are the songs you can’t stand. These should be avoided for obvious reasons, but mainly because you’ll get distracted by thinking about how much you can’t stand the song that’s playing.

Play them

Music that you can tune out, or easily blends into your environment, could be great to play while working. Sometimes very familiar music (think music you’ve listened to for years) could work as beneficial background music you can tune out. Other times, ADHDers are in need of a dopamine boost to fuel motivation. When this happens, upbeat, happy, or familiar music can provide the dopamine boost necessary to start tasks.

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Music on radio stations and (free) streaming platforms: skip it

Jamming out to the radio in the car or Pandora (or any other free streaming platform) is great, until the commercial breaks. ADHDers struggle with focusing and short attention spans, so adding in distractions like commercials can disrupt a focused workflow. Similar to music with vocals, ad breaks pull our attention away from the present moment. Stick to commercial-free streaming services!

Fast-paced music: it depends!

Skip it

This is another case of “you have to find what works best for you.” Fast-paced music can be distracting, or even cause anxiety. Your focus could shift from the music, back to the task at hand, and back to the music - similarly to music with vocals, and radio stations with commercial breaks. When it comes to fast-paced music, continuously shifting your attention can be counterproductive. So if you're unsure how you'd fare, I say skip it.

Play it

On the other hand, If you’re deep in a focus zone and find fast-paced, repetitive beats stimulating, stick with it. Maybe your ADHD brain thrives on EDM, electronic, or other exciting beats, and you’re able to focus on tasks even better. Fast-paced music can create a sense of urgency and motivate you to knock out those long-standing items on your to-do list and hit deadlines on time. Or maybe your friends are coming over in 30 minutes and you still need to clean your apartment — queue the energizing, fast-paced music, please!

Frequently asked questions

If the goal is to focus, then the ‘best’ type of music would have some or all of the following qualities:

Music without vocals

Music that you can easily tune out (i.e. songs that you don’t love or hate)

Uninterrupted streaming (avoid the radio!)

Not necessarily. Listening to songs on repeat is more about personal preference and less about neurotype.

Or, they just really like the song! #hyperfocus

getinflow.io - The best kind of music to help your ADHD brain focus - Inflow

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