We've all heard it said: Mozart makes babies smarter. But is that actually true? Does listening to the symphonies, sonatas and concertos of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart turn us into geniuses? Let's look into the science behind listening and playing the music of Mozart – what does the research show?
What is the Mozart Effect – and does listening to Mozart make us smarter?
'The Mozart Effect is an apparent improvement in scores on IQ tests found in students who listened to classical music compared to other conditions, such as repetitive music, silence or relaxation,' says Professor James Goodwin, Director of Science and Research Impact at Brain Health Network. 'But the effect is modest and temporary. In a review of 16 such studies, it amounted to about two IQ points.'
Nevertheless, it's known that listening to a Mozart symphony can provide a thorough workout for the brain. Sound waves travel as electrical signals through the auditory nerve to the brain stem. The brain then deciphers those signals, connecting each note to the next. It effectively rebuilds different elements of the signals (such as pitch and rhythm) as the mathematical structures we recognise as music. That's a lot of very complicated work!
But does playing Mozart make us smarter?
'Learning to play an instrument has been determined by psychologists to be a "cognitively stimulating activity",' says Dr Goodwin. 'That is, it helps to maintain our thinking skills and translates into better function in everyday life, something psychologists call "far transfer". But such transfer is completely dependent on the extent to which the learning process challenges the brain.'
Playing music doesn't just make us smarter... it helps us live longer
Dr Goodwin continues: 'There is also evidence that playing and listening to music improves our cognitive reserve – our capacity to deal with the adverse events of life. Numerous studies, many involving large data sets (for example, a study in 2015 analysing 3.4 million health records), have shown the pernicious effects of both social isolation and chronic loneliness.
'Both are associated with an increased risk of mortality. And loneliness in particular is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day or drinking a bottle of gin per day. (I would recommend neither!)
'Singing or dancing together is a good way to increase social connections with other people and reduce loneliness, which is good for brain health, reducing the risk of cognitive decline.'
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The Mozart Effect... Music can boost our mood and mental health
So, perhaps listening to or playing Mozart doesn't significantly increase our IQ in the long term... At least not without consistent and committed practice. Still, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, music can ‘reduce anxiety, blood pressure and pain, as well as improve sleep quality and mood.'
Music boosts the brain’s production of the ‘pleasure’ hormone dopamine, which helps relieve feelings of anxiety and depression. This is because music is processed by the amygdala – the part of the brain involved in mood and emotions.
It’s very similar to the way that aerobic exercise can boost mood and positivity through increased levels of serotonin in the body. A highly effective - and natural - way to boost our mental health!
