Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee has been ranked as the top Christmas song to boost productivity in the workplace at 67 beats per minute (BPM), according to a study by gaming website CSGOLuck.
The 200 biggest Christmas songs on Spotify were analysed regarding their BPM to determine which will help with productivity or result in a loss of focus. Music between 50 and 80 beats per minute can make listeners more relaxed, focused and receptive, but tunes with more beats per minute are distracting as the brain works harder to process the sound.
Silver Bells by Bing Crosby ranked second on the list of the best Christmas songs for productivity at 70 BPM, followed by A Holly Jolly Christmas by Brett Eldredge at 72 BPM, and O Christmas Tree by Tony Bennett at 74 BPM. Fairytale of New York by The Pogues, one of the most-streamed Christmas songs, is also high on the productive list, with 78 BPM.
The study also revealed the top 10 most distracting Christmas songs, with Ariana Grande’s Last Christmas ranked top at 206 BPM. Some of the most popular Christmas songs, including It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas by Perry Como, Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms and All I Want For Christmas by Mariah Carey, all rank on the distracting list, at more than 100 BPM.
A CSGOLuck spokesperson said: “Christmas music brings holiday cheer and a morale boost to the workplace. But our study shows you should be careful about what you play in the office, as it could distract and harm productivity. Data shows you shouldn’t play danceable songs if you’re trying to concentrate on work, as the tempo is much higher than the recommended amount. Gentler tracks that can be played as background music are best if you’re trying to get work done.”
Although December does marks the time of the year when it’s acceptable to play Christmas music at work, don’t get distracted by some of these festive tunes and let engagement dip!