Listening to classical music has for a long time been associated with smarter brains, and this has been supported by various research studies. Researchers are now finding that not all classical music affects the brain, so if you’re playing classical music for your infant, you may want to pay attention to which classical composer you choose.
Listening to Mozart can give your brain a boost, according to a new study.
People who heard the classical composer’s music showed an increase in brain wave activity linked to memory, understanding and problem-solving, researchers found.
However, no such increases were found after the group listened to Beethoven, suggesting there is something specific about the effect of Mozart’s music on our minds, they said. Via Daily Mail
This further build’s on the ‘Mozart effect’, that has existed for over 2 decades, suggesting that simply listening to music by Mozart can boost your memory and improve your thinking skills.
This study was performed by brain scientists from Sapienza University of Rome and involved 30 people. Using scalp electrodes and EEG technology, their memory-related brain waves were tracked before and after they listened to L’allegro con spirit by Mozart and Fur Elise by Beethoven.
Each of the participants visited the lab twice. During the first visit, they were subjected to 10 minutes of complete silence, followed by a session of listening to the first movement of Beethoven’s Fur Elise or Mozart’s piece. Their brain waves were monitored throughout. The second visit was like the first – only this time they listened to the other piece.
For the study, which was published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition, the researchers used EEG machines to record the electrical activity of the participants’ brains.
The group was made up of 10 young healthy adults with an average age of 33 (referred as the Adults), 10 healthy elderly adults with an average age of 85 (known as the Elderly), and 10 elderly people with mild cognitive impairment with an average age of 77 (referred to as MCI).
‘The results of our study show an increase in the alpha power and MF frequency index of background activity in both Adults and in the healthy elderly after listening to Mozart’s K448, a pattern of brain wave activity linked to intelligent quotient (IQ), memory, cognition and (having an) open mind to problem solving.
‘No changes in EEG activity were detected in both adults and in the elderly after listening to Beethoven. Via Daily Mail
The researchers thus concluded that the EEG patterns they observed resulted specifically from the influence that Mozart’s sonata had on the listeners’ brains – the same could not be attributed to listening to music in general – or any other classical music, for that matter.
Additionally, although the younger adults seemed to benefit more from Mozart music, heightened brain activity was also observed among elderly patients. However, elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment did not appear to benefit from the same.
The researchers believed the reason why these effects were limited to Mozart music was because of its unique arrangement.
‘The preliminary results allow us to hypothesize that Mozart’s music is able to ‘activate’ neuronal cortical circuits related to attentive and cognitive functions not only in young subjects, but also in the healthy elderly.’
The researchers suggested that the rational and highly organised arrangement of the sonata may ‘echo the organisation of the cerebral cortex’ (the part of the brain responsible for high-level mental functions).
‘One of the distinctive features of Mozart’s music is the frequent repetition of the melodic line; this determines the virtual lack of ‘surprise’ elements that may distract the listener’s attention from rational listening, where each element of harmonic (and melodic) tension finds a resolution that confirms listeners’ expectations,’ they wrote. Via Daily Mail
These findings suggest that if you’re looking from a brain boost, choosing dissonant music may not be the way to go. Instead, go for music that will match the high level of organization found in the brain. Vivaldi is another good option should you tire of Mozart.
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