Putting on Christmas music while you work? Think carefully about which yuletide tunes you pick. A recent study from project-management software company Workamajig reports that while certain songs can actually help maintain focus, others do the opposite.
According to the study, songs with beats per minute paced between 50 and 80 are best for productivity, and may actually help calm listeners. Others, with much higher beats-per-minute ratios, are classified on the distracting list.
Here are the 10 most distracting Christmas songs, according to Workamajig, followed by the 10 songs best for productivity.
Most distracting
- Mele Kalikimaka — Single Version, Bing Crosby
- The Happiest Christmas Tree, Nat King Cole
- It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Andy Williams
- Santa Tell Me, Ariana Grande
- Caroling, Caroling, Nat King Cole
- Christmas Dream, Perry Como
- Please Come Home for Christmas — 2013 Remaster, The Eagles
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Judy Garland
- Jingle Bells — Remastered 1999, Frank Sinatra
- Adeste Fideles, Bing Crosby
Best for productivity
- Carol of the Bells, Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych
- Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee
- Silver Bells, Bing Crosby
- Happy Holiday / The Holiday Season, Andy Williams
- O Christmas Tree, Tony Bennett
- Christmas Time Is Here, Vince Guaraldi Trio
- The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You), Nat King Cole
- The Christmas Waltz – Remastered 1999, Frank Sinatra
- The First Noël, Andy Williams
- Linus and Lucy, Vince Guaraldi Trio
The study also points out that the top two most played holiday songs on Spotify, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” and V’s “Christmas Tree” lean more towards more distracting with 150 BPM and 139 BPM.
