Sometimes it’s a success in and of itself just to sit down and open up your textbook on the nights when you know you should be studying, but don’t really feel like it. Studying can be a fairly stressful event, not to mention a fairly uneventful way to spend your time. But studying is a necessary aspect to any sort of schooling, and so you sit down and you make flashcards and you quiz yourself, whether you like it or not.

And as unfortunate as studying may be, we find ways to make it bearable – whether that be through personal bribery, coffee, or good study partners. One of the best and easiest ways to make studying feel a little less dry and a little more like down time is to study while listening to music – and science says that there is a specific type of music you should be listening to in order to maximize your production through relaxation and focus.

A study done at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute suggests that the best music and sound to make your brain flow and help to block out any distractions is music that is made up of natural sounds. Apparently natural sounds like water or rainforests can serve as a sort of white noise that allows you to focus more fully. These sounds can also be very calming, which relieves some of the stress that builds up during study time.

So next time you think about turning on some Wale while you’re working on your history homework, maybe settle for whales instead.