Does Life Need a Soundtrack?

Muzak started it all. It was developed to improve the working lives of factory workers. 96% of them said background (or "environmental") music made work more enjoyable, more soothing, more of a pleasure as they riveted or stitched or nail-gunned parts of products together. But 4% had a contrary response to environmental music. For these contraries, environmental music moved to the foreground. It was distracting, annoying, a malevolent force. They did not feel happier in its presence. They were not able to focus on their jobs as it played softly in the distance ("Someone left the cake out in the rain..."). They did not giggle with delight as they accidentally welded their fingers to a side panel of Ford's latest family car...MORE