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The Misinterpretation Of The Mozart Effect

Decent Essays
Often when we are curious about something, we rely on the internet, or other media, to give us the knowledge we seek as it is filled with endless amounts of information. What we find can be enriching and perhaps even change our lives for the better. However, there is a downside to so much access – not every single article we read on the web or every report we hear on the news will be true or accurate. With the whole world practically being able to access media, sometimes there are misinterpretations between sources or intentional manipulation of something that was once true. This is what happened with the so-called “Mozart Effect”: the claim that listening to classical (or Mozart) music would make people smarter – which spread like wildfire…show more content…
One person, the primary source, comes up with a phrase and then whispers it to the next person. Perhaps that person would hear the correct phrase, but as the phrase is whispered on to more and more people it tends to be changed from the original, and at the end is completely different from what the primary source had came up with. The change is usually the result of either misunderstanding, or simply someone being devious and intentionally twisting the phrase. This relates to the Mozart Effect because Rauscher’s report was the primary source, but then as the information was passed on to other sources and more people, the truth got lost and the information was no longer the same as the…show more content…
We all like the easy road whether we want to admit it or not, so quick-fixes appeal to us. Therefore, when people heard of Rauscher’s report, their minds convinced them to ignore the stated results from the research and instead convinced themselves that somehow listening to classical music would all of a sudden make you smarter. This included quick-improvements as well – which led people to also twist the story because they wanted an easy and fast way to help their children become smarter without much effort. Another possible reason why these misinterpretations developed was due to social pressure. Someone, even if they are skeptical at first, may subconsciously flip their thoughts and go with the crowd and believe the false stories. This seems easier than disagreeing with everyone and would be much more convenient than to look into the issue and see if the stories were really true or
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