When workplace music doesn't align with worker needs, it can cause mental exhaustion. (PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/Shutterstock)
In a nutshell
- When workplace music doesn’t match what employees psychologically need, it can lower their mood and mentally drain them, even if the playlist is upbeat or customer-friendly.
- This “music misfit” leads to real behavioral changes: workers are less likely to go the extra mile and more likely to slack off or break small rules.
- Employees who struggle to filter out background noise are especially vulnerable, but simple fixes, like letting staff help choose music or creating quiet zones, can make a big difference.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ever walked into a café and tapped your foot to the upbeat music playing overhead? That pleasant soundtrack might be perfect for your brief visit, but what about the barista who’s been stuck listening to the same playlist for an entire shift? That same music might be slowly driving the staff crazy, and surprisingly, affecting how they behave at work.
A recent study from the Journal of Applied Psychology reveals the mismatch between music that employees need to hear and the background tracks actually playing in stores, restaurants, and cafés across the country.
Researchers from Ohio State University, University of Illinois Chicago, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University coined the term “workplace music misfit” to describe this problem. Their work reveals that this seemingly minor aspect of work environments can mess with employees’ moods and behaviors in ways that matter for businesses.
“One of my first jobs was working as a front desk associate at a gym, where I had to turn on the music system every morning,” lead study author Kathleen Keeler from Ohio State University tells StudyFinds. “While customers enjoyed the playlist, which was always ‘today’s top hits,’ my colleagues and I constantly complained about it. This experience sparked a question for me and my coauthors: Is music that enhances customer experience also good for employees?”
Most service workers have zero control over what music plays during their shifts. Since background music typically aims to please customers, employees are stuck hearing whatever the business thinks will make shoppers spend more money. With roughly 13.5 million Americans working in jobs where background music is constant, it’s a widespread issue.
A cashier might need calming, gentle music to stay patient during a hectic rush of demanding customers. Instead, the store blasts upbeat, fast-tempo tracks designed to energize shoppers. Or flip it around; a stockroom worker trying to stay motivated during repetitive tasks might benefit from energetic music but instead gets lulled by slow, relaxing melodies meant to make customers browse longer.
The research team ran two different studies. First, they conducted an online experiment with 166 full-time workers, randomly assigning them to hear different types of music while doing tasks. Then, they tracked 68 actual service workers for three weeks, collecting data several times daily about what music the workers needed, what was actually playing, how they felt, and how they behaved.
Results show that when employees can’t hear what they need, two things happen: their positive emotions drop and they experience more mental fatigue. These changes then affect how they behave toward their workplace. They’re less likely to go above and beyond and more likely to slack off or break minor rules.
Not everyone reacted equally, though. Some people naturally filter out background noise better than others, a trait called “stimulus screening ability.” Workers who struggled to screen out unwanted sounds suffered more when forced to listen to music that didn’t match their needs.
While companies obsess over finding the perfect playlist to boost sales, they’re potentially hurting their own staff’s productivity and attitude. This is a classic case of stepping over dollars to pick up pennies.
The researchers outlined several practical fixes that businesses can implement:
- Give employees more say in music selection during slow periods
- Offer high-quality earplugs that block music but not conversation
- Create quiet zones for breaks away from constant sound
- For especially sensitive employees, consider bone-conduction headphones, which transmit sound through skull bones rather than ear canals, letting workers hear both their preferred music and customers
And this isn’t just for those working in retail and food service. As remote work grows more common, the freedom to control one’s sound environment is an unexpected perk of working from home, something companies could highlight when competing for talent.
“We’re interested in investigating how music misfit interacts with other environmental elements like lighting or scent to impact employees,” Keeler tells StudyFinds. “We’re also planning to study the social implications of listening to personal music in workplaces where employees can choose their own music, as this represents a different but equally important workplace scenario.”
The office or store soundtrack matters more than most bosses realize. When workers and workplace music are mismatched, everyone loses. Employees feel worse, act less helpfully, and sometimes even undermine workplace goals. But when music and worker needs align, the workplace rhythm improves for everyone involved. Fix the music misfit problem, and both workers and customers might just sing a happier tune.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The researchers used two complementary approaches. Study 1 involved 166 full-time workers in an online experiment. Participants rated their music needs, then were randomly assigned to different music conditions while completing a creative task, after which they reported their mood and mental fatigue. Study 2 followed 68 service workers over three weeks, with daily surveys before, during, and after shifts to track music needs, actual workplace music, emotional states, and workplace behaviors. Both studies measured music characteristics (volume, speed, complexity, emotional intensity) to calculate the mismatch between employees’ needs and their actual music exposure.
Results
Both studies confirmed that music misfit harmed employees. When workplace music didn’t match what employees needed, their positive emotions decreased and mental fatigue increased. The field study further revealed that music misfit led to fewer helpful behaviors toward the organization and more counterproductive behaviors like taking unnecessary breaks. Employees with lower “stimulus screening ability” (difficulty filtering out background noise) were especially vulnerable to music misfit’s negative effects. About half of all daily observations showed some degree of music mismatch, and the same employee could experience both fit and misfit on different days depending on changing needs.
Limitations
The study bundled music into four broad characteristics rather than examining each separately, potentially masking more nuanced effects. It only examined employees exposed to background music, not those using personal headphones. The research didn’t capture how music needs might fluctuate within a single workday. Finally, while the study focused on citizenship and counterproductive behaviors, music misfit likely affects other important outcomes like job performance, turnover intention, and job satisfaction that weren’t measured.
Discussion and Takeaways
This research shifts focus from customers to employees, highlighting how background music affects those who must listen to it throughout their workday. It demonstrates that music needs vary over time, explains why the same music affects people differently, and identifies who’s most vulnerable to music misfit. For managers, practical solutions include: giving employees input on music during slow periods, providing quality earplugs that permit conversation, creating quiet break areas, and making special accommodations for noise-sensitive workers. The findings also suggest that control over one’s sound environment could be an underappreciated benefit of remote work worth emphasizing during recruitment.
Funding and Disclosures
The study didn’t mention external funding.
Publication Information
The paper, “In Sync or Out of Tune? The Effects of Workplace Music Misfit on Employees,” was authored by Kathleen Keeler (Ohio State), Harshad Puranik and Yue Wang (University of Illinois Chicago), and Jingfeng Yin (Hong Kong Polytechnic University). It appeared in the Journal of Applied Psychology (March 20, 2025), with Alicia Grandey as editor. The authors acknowledged colleagues from several universities for feedback and noted they presented preliminary findings at the Academy of Management conference.
