The Benefits Of The Mozart Effect

This article reveals how Don Campbell, the author of “The Mozart Effect,” believes that listening to music can

The idea behind the “Mozart Effect” is that when babies listen to classical masterpieces, specifically Mozart, their brainpower will be enhanced which ultimately increases their intelligence. There are a myriad number of people who have tested this hypothesis and truly believe that the waves and the sounds engenders cognitive skills in the domain of learning. However, the real question is that do scientists substantiate this claim? Is there solid evidence or is it all an obscure hypothesis?

No one knows all the ways music can benefit the body but, it is known that music can affect brain waves, brain circulation, and stress hormones. Students who take music lessons have improved IQ levels and show improvement in nonmusical abilities as well. Listening to music composed by Mozart produces a short-term improvement in tasks that use spatial abilities. Studies of brain circulation have shown that people listening to Mozart have more activity in certain areas of the brain, which is called the Mozart effect. Although the reasons for this are not clear, this kind of information supports the idea that music can be used in many helpful ways. In general, music therapy done under the care of a professionally-trained therapist has a helpful effect, and is considered safe when used with standard treatment.

The human mind is constantly processing and picking up information. Music is an ordered and predictable sequence of sounds. When the brain hears music, it tries to decode it. In decoding those symbols and patterns, it sets up “neural highways, or synapses” , to receive and examine data. These pathways then can be used for remembering other symbol-oriented information, such as language and math. Like a muscle, the brain becomes stronger the more it is worked, and these workouts are achieved by listening to classical music. Mozart’s music is exceptionally difficult to decode, therefore the brain must work harder, thus making one smarter.

The Mozart Effect is a study that shows listening to classical music can have positive effects on learning and attitude. This occurrence is called the Mozart Effect, and it has been proven in experiments by many scientists. This research has caused much controversy between believers and nonbelievers, because The Mozart Effect is said to enhance the brain and reasoning; it is also used to reduce stress, depression, or anxiety; it induces relaxation or sleep; and the Mozart Effect activates the body. It also claims to help in the brain development in babies and young children and in addition is thought to aid in the process of studying.

In a study done by Jennifer L. Lilley, Crystal D. Oberle, and Jon G. Thompson, Jr. at Texas State University, they tested the effects of grade consequences and music on test anxiety and performance. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of the participants grades if there were consequences and how music effects the participates anxiety and their test performances. There were previous works cited on how people improve their spatial cognitive task performances after listening to Mozart (Ho, Mason, & Spence, 2007). They also included studies where there were no benefits to people’s spatial cognitive task performances after listening to Mozart (Hui, 2006).

If something as common as music has a significant effect on development, research can be extremely important for people trying to make informed decisions for their children. Referencing the title, I know The Incredibles made a remark insinuating that playing Mozart for a baby can make them smarter. Though the research on the Mozart Effect and IQ has shown no significant discovery, the inspiration behind this is brilliant. Music has to have some sort of effect on the brain, further than slight stimulation. There must be a reason that many kids toys, tv shows, books etc. use a lot of music; especially educational media. I know it can be very influential, but the effect it has on a child mentally and developmentally I feel can be further

In order to understand, one must understand the history of the myth. The term “Mozart Effect” is commonly used to discuss the general correlation between Mozart and increased intelligence. However, this term is applicable to many different tests and relationships. For example, the Mozart Effect can be used to describe the relationship between listening to Mozart while in the womb and increased intelligence. While this is a common myth, it is not the myth discussed in this paper. I will be addressing the “Mozart Effect” based on Dr. Gordon Shaw’s theory of the Mozart Effect, which states “listening to classical music makes you smarter.” After conducting a study in which college students took an IQ test before and after listening to Mozart’s famed “Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major,” Shaw claimed that the student’s IQ increased by “as much as 9 points.” This conclusion sparked many tests, ranging from

(2001) explained that the “Mozart effect” is due to arousal and mood improvement. The arousal-mood hypothesis proposes that listening to music, affects people’s level of arousal and mood, which in turn influence performance on different cognitive tasks (Husain, Thompson, & Schellenberg, 2002).

The ‘Mozart Effect’ is an anomaly which suggests that Mozart’s music provides intellectual benefits to individuals under certain circumstances. It is a widely researched topic because of the many controversies. Scientists, psychologists and sociologists have examined the “effect” from multiple viewpoints to come to a concluding consensus. Based on the many scientific and psychological experiments and investigations, the Mozart Effect can be shown to be more of a sociological occurrence rather than a developmental benefit.

A popularly held belief is that playing classical music to infants can stimulate learning and brain development. The belief in music’s benefits to both health and cognition has been around for centuries. The writings of both the I-Ching and Pythagoras espouse the positive side effects of listening to tunes with particular harmonics. These prescribed music therapies gave way to modern beliefs about the stimulating effects of classical music, also known as the Mozart effect, first described by Dr. Alfred Tomatis in his 1991 book Why Mozart? Tomatis used the music of Mozart to “retrain” the ear, concluding that it benefits brain development and promoted bodily healing. Subsequently, researchers began

The mind is greatly impacted by music by showing healthful changes (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Doctors now use music for their patients’ treatments in order to help them stay healthy (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Heart patients acquired the same benefits from listening to classical music for thirty minutes as they did from anti-anxiety medication (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Musical therapy has been used to help people with heart problems, which worked quite effectively. (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). People who have had migraines frequently, were trained to use music and relaxing procedures to reduce their headaches. Studies have also shown that music helps students with their intelligence levels (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). A majority of students had higher test scores than others because they listened to Mozart before their exam. People who listened to classical music for an hour and a half while revising manuscripts increased their accuracy by 21% (www.bellaonline.com/articles) (Mish 725.).

This was indeed a fairly informal study, performed on a mere thirty-six people – a small group from which to make "less wrong" conclusions based on observations. This, however, did not seem to matter to the general public. In 1993, when this study was written up in Nature both the media and the general population couldn't believe it. This was an easy, inexpensive way to increase your intelligence; and it was "proven". The concept exploded. Soon there were products on the market. CDs with titles like "Mozart for Meditaion" and "Mozart for the Mind" could be found at any major CD retailer. There was a significant jump in the amount of Mozart played by orchestras. In a couple of years the assumption was made that if the Mozart Effect worked on adults than it stands to reason that it would help babies as well. A toy company produces a teddy bear whose stomach played Mozart quietly to

Countless studies have proven time and time again that a student’s performance in school is greatly increased when they learn to play an instrument. The studies discuss the “Mozart Effect,” which says that listening to Mozart’s music can increase a child’s ability for spatial reasoning, as well as help brain development. The studies also cite the fact that many of history’s most intelligent men, like Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin, played one or more musical instruments. These studies are wrong. Students should not be required to learn an instrument, because it does not help them perform better in school.

The Mozart Effect is a phenomenon that occurs when individuals listen to the two piano sonata. The stated results are individuals that are able to remember information easier. There are two studies that were conducted in associated with the Mozart Effect. The first study was dedicated to spatial skill performance and its neural pathway relation to music. The other study was dedicated to challenging the first study due to the argument that any type of music that is appreciated can cause the same memory effect. The second study was based on an experiment with unborn mice that heard Mozart’s piano sonata K448. The other part of the study was related to the effects of Mozart’s piano sonata K448 on patients who were suffering from epilepsy. The overall conclusion is that Mozart’s piano sonata K448 has positive effects on both animals and humans.