Did you know Mozart Effect?

Did you know that classical music can positively influence our brain? Did you know Mozart Effect?

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Listening to classical music while learning, for example by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, improves one’s ability to think.  Supposedly, it stimulates our brain in such a way that we find it easier to solve complex mental tasks.

Mozart Effect

The concept of the Mozart effect was first described in a research study at the University of California in 1993: In the study, 36 students worked on several tasks of an intelligence test on visual-spatial processing in three sessions each.

In the first session, the participants listened to Mozart’s Sonata in D major, then to a recording of relaxation music, and finally they worked in silence for ten minutes. According to the researchers, the participants performed significantly better in tests of their cognitive performance after listening to the Mozart piece than after the other two sessions. The researchers concluded that classical music can increase learning and thinking ability.

However, these conclusions and hypothesis still controversial today.

But despite this, the study results quickly had an effect on the population: record sales for works by Mozart soared, classrooms played Mozart as background music for children while they studied, and some kindergartens made an hour of classical music a day mandatory by law.

Instead, experts now suspect that the positive mood that music generally triggers can be the cause of better thinking performance. Scientists also think that music can improve social behavior and increase the ability to concentrate. This is because our brain can develop further through musical stimulation.

Research shows that when we listen to music that is perceived as pleasant, certain areas of the brain receive more blood flow. The limbic system in particular, is usually more activated under the influence of music. Brain regions responsible for fear and alarm reactions, on the other hand, are switched off. Overall, this pattern of brain activity influenced by music then possibly has a positive effect on learning and memorization. This is true for listening, but even more so for actively making music.

Other benefits of music have been discovered: Learning and playing music stimulates other areas of the brain and regular practice promotes the connection of nerve cells. Studies show that musically can help children in showing better attention and memory performance than their peers without musical support. In addition, early and regular music-making also seems to promote language skills and school performance.