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Classical music has always been admired for its soothing nature, but did you know that classical music can boost your intelligence, particularly spatial reasoning skills?
Research shows that taking in some Mozart for only 10 minutes can enhance your brain game, specifically in the spatial-temporal department. They put it to the test, and it worked. The experiment was succesful due to a phenomenon that plays a major role in it - the Mozart effect.
Mozart effect on your brain - Boosts brain health and other cognitive fucntion
In '93, Rauscher et al. discovered what's now known as the Mozart effect. They discovered that when people listened to Mozart's sonata for two pianos (K448) for just 10 minutes, their spatial reasoning skills went high.
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After listening to some classical music, the average spatial IQ scores increased by a whopping 8 to 9 points compared to the other two situations. Although these results were initially controversial, with some investigators unable to reproduce the findings, others confirmed that listening to Mozart's sonata produced a small increase in spatial-temporal performance.
Some people have doubted the validity of the initial positive findings, saying that any Mozart effect is just because the music makes you feel good.
However, animal experiments have shown otherwise. They exposed rats to Mozart's piano sonata K448, minimalist music by Philip Glass, white noise, or silence, starting from when they were in the womb and continuing for 60 days after birth.
The Mozart group completed the maze test significantly more quickly and with fewer errors than the other three groups, ruling out enjoyment and musical appreciation as the basis of the improvement.
Listening to classical music activates different areas of the brain
A possible explanation for the Mozart effect lies in the manner in which music and spatial imaging are processed within the brain. PET scanning and functional magnetic resonance scanning, along with studies on localized brain lesions, show that listening to music activates a wide distribution of brain areas.
When you're bumping some tunes, the brain is lit up in a bunch of different areas. It hits up the prefrontal cortex, superior temporal gyrus and even the precuneus of the parietal lobe.
Classical music can activate the areas of the brain responsible for spatial reasoning. So, when you listen to music, you're basically preparing the brain to excel at spatial tasks.
They studied little kids aged 3-4 who took six months of piano lessons. After the lessons ended, all the kids could play some easy Mozart melodies, and there were effects of classical music on their brains in the long run, too.
They were then subjected to spatial-temporal reasoning tests calibrated for age. Their performance was found to be more than 30% better than that of children of similar age given either computer lessons for six months or no special training.
The longer duration of the effects than in previous reports was attributed to the length of exposure to music and the greater plasticity of the young brain.
In some experiments, listening to Mozart has been shown to have a positive effect on patients with epilepsy.
In 23 of 29 patients with focal discharges or bursts of generalized spike and wave complexes who listened to Mozart piano sonata K448, there was a significant decrease in epileptiform activity as shown by the electroencephalogram.
Some patients showed especially striking improvement, even in a comatose patient.
To conclude, listening to Mozart for just 10 minutes can boost spatial reasoning skills, even more so if you do it regularly over a prolonged period.
Classical music, such as Mozart or Bach, has a gentle melody and strong notes that can soothe the mind, decrease seizures and enhance spatial-temporal abilities. So, if you want to give your brain a slight boost, consider playing some classical tunes, relax and listen.
