What if the secret to improving your mental flexibility didn’t involve learning a new language, but rather picking up a musical instrument?
That’s right—learning to play music could actually be the key to better multitasking, outshining even bilingualism in one critical cognitive area: task switching.
If you’re someone who struggles with juggling multiple tasks at once, you’re not alone.
Task switching—the ability to smoothly shift between different mental tasks—is something we all struggle with at some point.
Whether it’s bouncing between work emails and a project, or simply trying to keep up with multiple conversations in a busy setting, our brains can feel overwhelmed.
But a new study out of York University in Canada shows that musicians might just have an advantage when it comes to switching between tasks.
This research, published in the journal Cognitive Science, reveals a fascinating discovery: Playing an instrument might be more effective than being bilingual when it comes to handling the cognitive demands of multitasking.
For musicians, the training that goes into mastering an instrument seems to directly enhance their ability to shift attention quickly and efficiently—even more so than learning a new language.
What’s It All About?
First, let’s break down what we mean by task switching. In psychology, this refers to the mental process of switching your focus from one activity to another.
For example, consider trying to read an email while participating in a conversation.
You have to quickly shift your attention between the two tasks, sometimes losing track of one or the other.
This can be mentally taxing, especially when it requires sustained attention.
This ability to juggle tasks is essential in today’s fast-paced world. But what happens when you’re not so great at switching?
According to the researchers, difficulty in task switching is often linked to lower cognitive flexibility, which in turn can affect productivity, problem-solving, and even your social interactions.
So, it makes sense that improving this ability could have wide-reaching benefits in everything from your work to your personal life.
But how do you train your brain to do this?
Is it possible that some people are simply better wired to handle multiple tasks at once?
That’s exactly what the York University psychologists wanted to find out.
Musicians Outperform Bilinguals
The study involved 153 students who were divided into four groups for the experiment:
- Monolingual Musicians
- Bilingual Musicians
- Monolingual Non-Musicians
- Bilingual Non-Musicians
Now, before we go any further, it’s important to note that the musicians had an average of 12 years of formal musical training—and 88% of them were instrumentalists.
In other words, these weren’t just people who occasionally strummed a guitar.
These were individuals deeply immersed in music for a significant part of their lives.
The participants were asked to complete tasks designed to measure how quickly they could switch between two mental activities.
One of the tests required participants to follow a moving white dot on a screen, while also paying attention to a sequence of flashing capitalized letters.
They had to click the mouse whenever they saw the target letter “X.” It’s a simple task, but requires quick thinking and the ability to shift focus—essentially the mental gymnastics of multitasking.
What the researchers discovered might surprise you: Musicians performed significantly better than non-musicians in task switching, but the bilingual participants did not.
Even though bilingualism is often touted for its cognitive benefits, it did not seem to offer the same task-switching advantage that musical training did.
So what’s going on here?
Why It Works
The researchers believe that the key lies in the rigorous nature of musical training.
For musicians, mastering an instrument requires not just technical skill but also the ability to process and manage multiple forms of complex information at once.
When you play music, your brain has to juggle:
- Notes, pitch, and rhythm
- Melody and dynamics
- Emotional tone and performance
All of this happens while maintaining focus on timing, hand-eye coordination, and even emotional expression.
In a sense, musicians are constantly switching between various mental tasks within the context of a single activity.
This rigorous exercise in mental flexibility might be why they excel in switching tasks in other areas of life, too.
In their study, the researchers found that this complex mental manipulation of stimuli—whether it’s remembering a melody, adjusting pitch, or responding to rhythm—helps musicians develop superior cognitive control.
This control translates directly to their ability to switch tasks quickly and effectively in real-world situations.
The authors explain that musicians’ extensive training might sharpen the brain’s response systems, making it easier for them to handle multiple types of cognitive demands simultaneously.
So, while bilinguals certainly benefit from enhanced memory and cognitive abilities, musicians seem to have an edge when it comes to switching between tasks on the fly.
The Limitations of Language Learning
Now, let’s take a moment to address a common belief.
For years, bilingualism has been associated with a whole host of cognitive benefits, including better multitasking and cognitive flexibility.
You’ve probably heard that speaking multiple languages makes you sharper, boosts brain function, and enhances memory.
In fact, many studies have suggested that bilingual individuals have a cognitive edge in terms of task switching, decision-making, and even problem-solving.
But this study from York University shows that bilingualism may not be the multitasking miracle we once thought it was.
While knowing more than one language can certainly offer cognitive benefits, it doesn’t necessarily improve task switching ability more than other types of training—like playing an instrument.
This finding may challenge the widespread assumption that language learning is the best route to improved cognitive function.
Instead, it might suggest that diverse training in complex tasks, like playing a musical instrument, can be just as (if not more) beneficial.
This discovery doesn’t discredit bilingualism; rather, it underscores the importance of the type of cognitive challenges we engage in.
Bilingualism requires switching between languages, but musical training requires switching between a multitude of complex stimuli, which could be why it’s more effective for multitasking.
Start Playing an Instrument
So, what does this mean for you?
If you’re hoping to improve your multitasking ability, maybe it’s time to pick up an instrument.
Music offers a unique kind of brain training that other activities, like learning a language, simply don’t provide.
Whether you’re picking up a piano, guitar, or even learning to read sheet music, the mental exercise involved in playing music might be the best way to strengthen your cognitive flexibility.
If you already play an instrument, you’re ahead of the game.
And if you’ve been thinking about starting, consider this a strong incentive to follow through.
The ability to switch between tasks smoothly isn’t just about reducing your stress—it’s about sharpening your mind for better performance in all areas of life.
So, next time you’re looking for ways to enhance your multitasking skills, skip the language apps and grab your instrument.
You might find that it’s the most rewarding—and brain-boosting—skill you can learn.
A New Path to Multitasking Mastery
This study opens the door to a fascinating new perspective on how we develop cognitive flexibility.
Instead of focusing solely on bilingualism as the key to improved multitasking, the researchers suggest that musical training might offer an even more effective pathway to mastering the art of task switching.
For anyone looking to enhance their cognitive abilities and become better at multitasking, music might just be the answer.
Whether you’re already a musician or thinking of starting, the evidence is clear: playing an instrument is an exercise that tunes your brain for better performance, sharper focus, and smoother task switching.
So why not give your brain the ultimate workout?
Pick up that guitar, dust off your piano keys, and start improving your multitasking skills today.
