For some people, listening to music can be a pleasant collateral activity during working hours. Occasionally considered to be an important stress reducing strategy in situations when planning, and decision making are required. For that reason, in this work we seek to assess the effect of listening to music at sound pressure levels Leq of 74 to 78 dB-A, in three higher-level cognitive functions: planning, inhibition and visuospatial working memory, in a group of 22 young adults 22 to 39 years old from Mexico City using a two-phase quasi experimental design. During phase 1, all participants were screened for good hearing health through a standard pure-tone audiometry, and then performed four neuropsychological tests while listening to loud music. During phase 2, participants performed the same neuropsychological tests applied during phase 1, but without presenting the musical stimulus in a quiet laboratory environment with a background noise level Leq of 24 to 30 dB-A. In both phases participants were also physiologically tested for possible stress markers. The results demonstrate that listening to loud music might negatively affects daily life cognitive abilities like planning, inhibition, and visuospatial working memory.