The Mozart Effect
Wednesday November 8, 2006
The Mozart Effect is essentially a theory stating that listening to Mozart's music will make you smarter. Now, whether or not this is true remains debatable. It seems many people have their own unique take on the matter. One of my high school history professors always played classical music during our exam, believing it would increase our performance. If anything, I was able to relax because of it. Searching the web, you can find all sorts of information regarding the topic. You'll find articles for it and against it. You'll even find classical music CDs for your baby based off this principal. What are your thoughts and experiences with the Mozart Effect? Do you believe it's real? Will you please post a comment? I'd love to hear your opinion.
Comments
Definitely! Classical music stimulates one’s intellectual capacity. I read of a study wherein students who listened to 10 minutes of Mozart prior to taking an examination scored higher than those who were not exposed to the music. There are also studies which relate classical music to health. Apparently, heart patients gained the same benefits from listening to 30 minutes of classical music as they did from taking 10 mg of Valium. But for me, the best benefit of classical music is that it reduces my stress.
My musician friend introduced me to Naxos Music Library. Now, my entire family enjoys classical music and I believe benefits from it.
I don’t necessarily think it’s JUST Mozart, or even JUST classical music that makes your brain work better, your heart beat more regularly, etc. I think in general, any music that is rhythmically and melodically complex will have a similar benefit. I think part of it is actually the slight distraction. I think most reasonably intelligent people have mile-a-minute brains that run in a hundred directions at once, and a piece of complicated and intelligently created music occupies several of those channels at a time, allowing a person to focus more intently on the thing they NEED to be focusing on.
Yes, the organizational principle in almost all music in the classical tradition does seem to influence the brain that hears it. Brain-scan studies indicate that the brain simply becomes more organized as it somehow empathizes with the orderly pattern of rhythm, coherent melody and harmony in the music of Mozart and those who think as he did when they write and perform.
There is also evidence that some of the more violently organized sound that is accepted today as popular music inspires the brain (and hence the body) to violence and destructive behavior. After visiting a jail (very briefly!) and hearing the cacaphony echoing off the walls, I wrote suggesting that prison officials should ban radios and pipe in only soft classical fare — I offered to select and tape the material — to calm the population and curb the violence. There was, of course, no response to this silly elitest idea. And, yes, it does smack of elitism, like advocating clean water, healthy food, sterile operating rooms and courteous driving — all nonsense in a world dedicated to its own destruction. I suppose the best we can do is hold our own, and support, for example, the radio stations that broadcast “the good stuff” so that their tribe will increase. Sure, it may take a few thousand years of uphill striving, but we might as well get started.
Maybe, or maybe it’s that intelligent people are attracted to and enjoy classical music. There’s no question, though, that classical music and Mozart in particular are uplifting and make you feel good. Smarter? Who knows? It certainly doesn’t make you dumber, so if you like it, you might as well listen to it and enjoy it!
I’m not sure Mozart makes you smarter but one benefit I’ve experienced is that in life drawing listening to classical music made an immediate improvement in my drawing. I’m a believer!
I have taken quite a few I.Q. tests and I have found that if I listen to classical music at the time of the test my score goes up. Vibrations are very important to the body and classical has many intellectual and soothing vibrations…….
Yes! I definitely believe the Mozart Effect actually has an effect on thinking. Guess what? It’s also my science fair project! Since I love music so much and the Mozart Effect interests me so much, I have chosen to gather 18 kids (9 girls and 9 boys) and let them take a math test listening to rock, classical and no music! Most teachers would say that you shouldn’t listen to music while doing homework, but I might be able to prove them wrong.
I agree. my friend liked rock, but when he get bored of it he was listening to classic. most of all he liked Mozart. and he really got smarter.
I don’t what you mean by smart?
If You mean It Increases Iq,I,m not sure about that but i have experienced That The Mozart & Every Clever Music Which In My Idea Mozart Is The Best Of Them Have Given Power To My Brain.It’s One Important thing you should.relaxed Mood Can Help Your Brain Work Very Better And I Believe This and Being Clever of Mozart’s Music Are The Reason That Makes That Happen.
i think Mozart music is a miystry.. i know all classics are good and relaxing..but i think there is something weird with Mozart’s.
i had 3 goldn fish and i played for 2 fishs classic music not for mozart they were ok but for the third i put for it Mozart it became so energetic.then i put the 3 and plays for them Mozart and the 3 turned to energetic..
i don’t know how to explane it but yes i believe it’s real…
hey. umm bit late.
i did a SRP on the Mozart effect and found out that it increases cognitive functions by like idk. quite a bit. it stimulates the brain, so its good to listen to it before tests or while studying.
good eh?
yeah. thats all.
hope it helps.
even tho its like 2 yrs late
Okay umm.. i agree with the motzart affect thing because i am in band at my school and have been for 7 years and i have also played on the drumline this year. I see music and things diffrently than others. i also have noticed that my mind is more creative and that i see problems with an open mind
Its not just Mozart but the reason why his music is supposed to make you “smarter” is because of how his music effects the brain.
when your brain recieve’s certain melodic vibrations (though music) it creates a certain brain wave pattern. Have you heard of the Alpha, Beta, Theta and Delta brian waves? Alpha is quick thinking on the go kind of brain wave, while Delta is when you are in a deep sleep?
Well Mozarts music triggers your brain to go into a Theta brain wave. Theta brian wave is when you are on the line of sleeping and being awake. They say when the brian in Theta, both your left and right hemispheres of the brain are working together, one hemisphere
HAHA crap I wasnt done!
anyway, the right and the left hemisphere’s work together in Theta state. one side collects the information given and the other half stores this information. Being in the Theta state is also good for “rewiring” your sub conscious.
Studies where done that students who just graduated from university loose up to 80% of what they where taught by the following summer (assuming that they graduated in April).
Then studies found that if the students listened to music that triggered Theta brain waves (like Mozart) the students ended up retaining more information then with out being in the Theta state.
Thats why they say you will ace your test if you listen to Mozart because you remember more of what youve been taught.
The super cool thing is, what a genius for Mozart to be able to create wonderful music that could put your brain into the Theta state! they didnt know that in those days!!
I tried listening to classical music in order to improve my thought process, but I always find myself distracted, thinking only about the music I’m listening to!
Absolutely not. You’re right, Mozart is good for relaxing, but that’s more of a form of Music Therapy than increasing intellect. This was the thesis of a research paper I had to do for the last two years of high school, so I know a bit about it. The Mozart effect was thought of by Alfred A. Tomatis, but it wasn’t tested until 1993, when Dr. Francis Rauscher took her college psychology students and tested them before and after listening to Mozart. Her results are the ONLY positive results that the Mozart effect works. Dr. Kenneth Steele is a professor at another university, who took Rauscher’s experiments on both foetal rats and on college students and replicated them himself, but he got no conclusive evidence. He has many papers on the tops, among them “Failure to Replicate”, where he describes his many attempts, in-depth, to replicate Rauscher’s data. You can find these articles and many more on his website.
So, no. The Mozart effect is a myth. Sorry guys.
I can only suppose that most of your respondents were not listening to Mozart when they posted their comments, or is it just a function of an educational system that fails to teach syntax,grammar,and punctuation. Perhaps, if my grandchildren had been exposed to Mozart insted of heavy metal, I would be able to understand their Emails and text messages. It seems that I have been reduced to being referred to as “gdw” (Grandad Williams).
Let’s make Mozart a mandatory part of the school curriculum, at least 5 hours a week. Would we then produce the smartest generation the world has ever known.
I need to make a presentation on this Mozart Effect… Please help me!!!