“Summer solstice;” reminiscent of the ocean, the sunset, the name of an Urban Decay eyeshadow palette.

The Summer Solistice has taken on many meanings, but most importantly (for those of us who work a 9-to-5) Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year—the one day you might realistically get through that to-do list you’ve been agonizing over. In preparation for this holiday of hustle and productivity, we turned to an app that claims to increase productivity called Brain.fm. If you haven’t heard of it, Brain.fm is an online radio station that has developed a theory of the effect of music on the brain in several different states. As it turns out, music is one of the most powerful tools in aiding the mind and body to shift into gear; Brain.fm offers stations that is said to inspire various desired states of calm or focus including sleep, relaxation, and productivity.

One of the best things about music therapy is that nobody really knows exactly. However, our friends at Brain.fm have done extensive research into the subject and have come up with some simplified hypotheses for our ‎convenience. Brainwave Entrainment is one of the most important fundamentals of Brain.fm’s theory; essentially, the neurons in the brain respond to regular variations of electric activity in the brain through neuronal oscillations. When listening to music, the neurons adjust to the sounds and rhythms and eventually synchronize (“entrain”) to the music.

Brain.fm has used these findings to consciously create music that synchronizes the neurons in the brain to a specific rhythm; the generated  music utilizes several elements to hypnotize unassuming listeners. First, it maintains a consistent speed of 120 beats per minute, which is key to synchronizing the “external” (music) and “internal” (neuron) rhythms. Next, the algorithm contains amplitude modulations in the low range, meaning that at its lowest point the waveform of the music is oscillated and altered slightly—this is believed to stimulate focus. The amplitude modifications are placed at random throughout the music to avoid “habituation effects.” When listened to with headphones, the music created by the algorithm also utilizes audio techniques to “create the subjective illusion […] that music is played in front of the listeners,” which subsequently attracts the listener to what is going on in front of them and pushes the mind forward.

Long story short, it’s time to put that “Chill” playlist to rest. And the “Chill Vibes” one, if you’re that guy. When comparing Brain.fm’s focus music to “Placebo Music,” Brain.fm found through a visual pattern recognition test designed to evaluate levels of attention and focus that the algorithmic music resulted in the fastest pattern recognition time by 62 milliseconds. When evaluating the music’s effect on sleep patterns, Brain.fm found that the algorithms resulted in an approximate 27% power increase. Although Brain.fm’s website boasts the slightly over-ambitious aim to “change the world’s perception of music” (you’re not quite the Beatles, brainiacs), the study is definitely worth a read and a listen. Lucky for you, Brain.fm offers nine free sessions of their “Focus” station online, so get those earphones on and get to work—the day is long, but it’s never long enough.