What is the Mozart Effect? Does it make us smarter?

In recent years the so-called "Mozart effect" has become very popular.. According to those who defend the existence of this phenomenon, listening to the music of the Austrian composer, or the music classical generally increases intelligence and other cognitive abilities, especially during development early.

Despite scientific research suggests there is a real part in this type of affirmations, the truth is that the review of the existing literature shows that the The potential benefits of listening to music have been overstated, at least in the field of music. intelligence. However, music can be very positive for people for other reasons.

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What is the Mozart effect?

We know as the "Mozart effect" the hypothesis that proposes that listening to the music of Mozart increases intelligence and has cognitive benefits in infants and toddlers, although there are also those who say that these effects also occur in adults.

Most of the studies that have investigated the existence of this phenomenon

they have focused on the K448 sonata for two pianos by Mozart. Similar properties are attributed to other piano compositions by the same author and to many similar works in terms of structure, melody, harmony, and tempo.

More broadly, this concept can be used to refer to the idea that music, especially the classic one, it is therapeutic for people and / or increases their capacities intellectuals.

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The benefits of music

The clearest beneficial effects of music are related to emotional health. Since ancient times, humans have used this art as a method to reduce stress and improve moodboth consciously and without realizing it.

In this sense, we currently speak of music therapy to refer to interventions that use music as a tool to reduce the psychological discomfort, improve cognitive functions, develop motor skills or facilitate the acquisition of social skills, among others objectives.

Recent scientific research has confirmed much of what was believed: music therapy is effective for reduce symptoms of mental disorders such as depression, dementia, or schizophrenia, and also to reduce the risk of cardiovascular accidents.

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History and popularization

The Mozart effect began to become popular in the 90s with the appearance of the book "Pourquoi Mozart?" ("Why Mozart?"), By the French otolaryngologist Alfred Tomatis, who coined the term. This researcher claimed that listening to Mozart's music could have therapeutic effects on the brain and promote its development.

Nevertheless, it was Don Campbell who popularized the concept of Tomatis through his book "The Mozart Effect". Campbell attributed beneficial properties to Mozart's music "to heal the body, strengthen the mind, and release the creative spirit," as the extended title of the book states.

Campbell's work was based on a study by researchers Frances Rauscher, Gordon Shaw, and Catherine Ky published a few years earlier in the journal Nature. However, this study showed only a slight improvement in spatial reasoning up to a maximum of 15 minutes after listening to the K448 sonata.

Articles in the New York Times or Boston Globe also contributed to the Mozart effect's current fame. After the publication of all this literature, a business began to be formed around musical compilations with purported intellectual benefits, especially for children, since Campbell also wrote the book "The Mozart Effect for children."

Investigations on the Mozart effect

The claims made by Campbell and by the articles mentioned clearly exaggerated the study's conclusions de Rauscher et al., who found only mild evidence of a possible short-term improvement in spatial reasoning. In no sense can it be drawn from existing research that music raises IQ, at least directly.

In general, the experts affirm that the Mozart effect is an experimental artifact that would be explained by the euphoric effects of some musical works and by the increase in brain activation that they cause. Both factors have been linked to the improvement of cognitive functions in the short term.

Therefore, the benefits of the Mozart effect, which is real in a way, are not specific to this author's work or music. classical, but are shared by many other compositions and even by very different activities, such as reading or sport.

On the other hand, and although it has not been shown that listening to classical music during early development is necessarily beneficial, the practice of a musical instrument can support children's emotional well-being and cognitive development if it motivates and stimulates them intellectually. Something similar happens with other forms of art and creativity.

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Bibliographic references:

• Campbell, D. (1997). The Mozart Effect: Tapping the power of music to heal the body, strengthen the mind, and unlock the creative spirit (1st Ed.). New York: Avon Books.

• Campbell, D. (2000). The Mozart Effect for children: Awakening your child’s mind, health, and creativity with music. New York: HarperCollins.

• Jenkins, J. S. (2001). The Mozart effect. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 94 (4): 170-172.

• Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L. & Ky, C. N. (1993). Music and spatial task performance. Nature, 365 (6447): 611.

• Tomatis, A. (1991). Pourquoi Mozart? Paris: Hachette.