This thesis aims to provide the reader with an objective look at the past scientific research done about the influence of background music on cognition. It also describes the findings of an experimental approach focusing more specifically on the case of background music's effect on learning from text. 48 participants from the University of Erasmus Rotterdam had to answer comprehension questions after learning texts varying in reading difficulty while being exposed to background music or silence. The experiment aims to prove that background music can have different effects (positive or negative) on learning, based on the reading difficulty of the learned material. Arousal levels and cognitive load measures were reported as well. Statistical analysis failed to show significance from the effects of background music, reading difficulty, arousal levels and cognitive load on comprehension scores. Reasons for these results are discussed, along with the directions to take for future research.