Studies suggest that listening to classical music can improve your hearing, spatial reasoning skills, and even general intelligence. But is there any truth in the ‘Mozart Effect’? And can it make your baby smarter? Below, we’ll share different views based on scientific studies.
— August 2nd, 2021
First things first, what is the ‘Mozart Effect’? The ‘Mozart Effect’ was first reported in 1993 by scientists at the University of California, who asked individuals to listen to Mozart’s sonata for two pianos (K448) for 10 minutes, while others listened to either silence or relaxation audio designed to lower blood pressure.
The study found that the subjects who listened to Mozart showed significantly increased spatial reasoning skills for 10-15 minutes. These findings led to a craze in the United States to start playing classical music to children.
The same study investigated the long-term effects of music on the brain. It did so by giving groups of three to four-year-old children keyboard lessons for six months. At the end of the training, their performance in a spatial-temporal reasoning test was 30% better than that of children of a similar age who were given other types of lessons for six months or no special training.
A separate test was later conducted on a group of rats in utero, exposing them to Mozart’s sonata. At the same time, others listened to minimalist music by Philip Glass. Finally, after some time, both groups were tested for their ability to find their way through a maze.
The Mozart group again completed the maze test significantly more quickly and with fewer errors, suggesting that Mozart’s compositions positively impacted spatial reasoning.
So, does Mozart’s music make you smarter?
The results of the study have proven to be controversial. Most criticism of the findings argues that the ‘Mozart effect’ is due to ‘enjoyment arousal’; in other words, the subjects’ enhanced spatial reasoning was down to their enjoyment and appreciation of the music, rather than any mysterious effect Mozart’s music might have on the brain.
In conclusion…
The scientists themselves suggested that the primary activity of listening to music activated the areas of the brain concerned with spatial reasoning – in which case, the result might be more accurately named the general ‘music effect.’
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This article is a re-post, with minor modifications, of “The ‘Mozart effect’: will classical music really make your baby smarter?” an article published on classifm.com.
