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Mozart doesn't make you clever
by Alison Abbott
Reposted from:
http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070409/full/070409-13.html
German government decides to tackle the myth of the 'Mozart effect'.
Passively listening to Mozart — or indeed any other music you enjoy — does not make you smarter. But more studies should be done to find out whether music lessons could raise your child's IQ in the long term, concludes a report analysing all the scientific literature on music and intelligence, which was published last week by the German research ministry.
The ministry commissioned the report — surprisingly the first to systematically review the literature on the purported intelligence effect of music — from a team of nine German neuroscientists, psychologists, educationalists and philosophers, all music experts. The ministry felt it had to tackle the subject because it had been inundated with requests for funding of studies on music and intelligence, which it didn't know how to assess.
The interest in this scientific area was first sparked by the controversial 1993 Nature report1 in which psychologist Frances Rauscher and her colleagues at the University of California, Irvine, claimed that people perform better on spatial tasks — such as recognizing patterns, or folding paper — after listening to Mozart for 10 minutes.
The 'Mozart effect' remained a marketing tool for the music industry, and some private schools, long after a torrent of additional studies started to cast doubt on the finding. In the wild commercial flurry, which often involved over-interpretation of available data, the issues of listening to music and actively practicing music were frequently mixed up.
"We went through all of the literature to find out which questions were still open," says lead author Ralph Schumacher, a piano-playing philosopher at the Humboldt University in Berlin. The report pronounced Rauscher's 'Mozart effect' dead.
Most studies on the effect on intelligence of listening to music — a body of work collectively nicknamed 'Mozart's Requiem' by music scientists — were either unable to repeat the finding or found a transient effect lasting no more than 20 minutes after listening. Even the transient effect was not specific to Mozart, but to any sort of music, or even story reading, that the test subject preferred.
The report was less dismissive of claims for an effect of music lessons on IQ development, particularly in young children. Most published studies are small and difficult to interpret, it found, and some suggest no long-term effect at all on IQ. "But one or two large and careful studies have shown a small but significant effect on IQ — which can be seen over years," says Schumacher.
But even if the effect of musical training is confirmed in future studies, he concedes, it is highly unlikely to make your child a genius, "otherwise it would be seen more clearly in the current literature," says Schumacher. "The most interesting point will be to find out how the effect, if it exists, is achieved in the brain."
http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070409/full/070409-13.html
German government decides to tackle the myth of the 'Mozart effect'.
Passively listening to Mozart — or indeed any other music you enjoy — does not make you smarter. But more studies should be done to find out whether music lessons could raise your child's IQ in the long term, concludes a report analysing all the scientific literature on music and intelligence, which was published last week by the German research ministry.
The ministry commissioned the report — surprisingly the first to systematically review the literature on the purported intelligence effect of music — from a team of nine German neuroscientists, psychologists, educationalists and philosophers, all music experts. The ministry felt it had to tackle the subject because it had been inundated with requests for funding of studies on music and intelligence, which it didn't know how to assess.
The interest in this scientific area was first sparked by the controversial 1993 Nature report1 in which psychologist Frances Rauscher and her colleagues at the University of California, Irvine, claimed that people perform better on spatial tasks — such as recognizing patterns, or folding paper — after listening to Mozart for 10 minutes.
The 'Mozart effect' remained a marketing tool for the music industry, and some private schools, long after a torrent of additional studies started to cast doubt on the finding. In the wild commercial flurry, which often involved over-interpretation of available data, the issues of listening to music and actively practicing music were frequently mixed up.
"We went through all of the literature to find out which questions were still open," says lead author Ralph Schumacher, a piano-playing philosopher at the Humboldt University in Berlin. The report pronounced Rauscher's 'Mozart effect' dead.
Most studies on the effect on intelligence of listening to music — a body of work collectively nicknamed 'Mozart's Requiem' by music scientists — were either unable to repeat the finding or found a transient effect lasting no more than 20 minutes after listening. Even the transient effect was not specific to Mozart, but to any sort of music, or even story reading, that the test subject preferred.
The report was less dismissive of claims for an effect of music lessons on IQ development, particularly in young children. Most published studies are small and difficult to interpret, it found, and some suggest no long-term effect at all on IQ. "But one or two large and careful studies have shown a small but significant effect on IQ — which can be seen over years," says Schumacher.
But even if the effect of musical training is confirmed in future studies, he concedes, it is highly unlikely to make your child a genius, "otherwise it would be seen more clearly in the current literature," says Schumacher. "The most interesting point will be to find out how the effect, if it exists, is achieved in the brain."
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Posted: Monday, April 16, 2007 | PermalinkComments 1 - 41 of 41 |
Reload Comments | Back to Top | Page Numbers2. Comment #32337 by Lord_Satorious on April 16, 2007 at 10:51 pm
So they concluded it's a temporary effect at best. Great, I already learned that from watching Penn & Teller: Bullshit! on Showtime. And that was the first season in 2003. No comment on the type of music anybody likes to listen to, as my tastes could most kindly be described as 'eclectic'. Other Comments by Lord_Satorious
3. Comment #32338 by Robert Maynard on April 16, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Isn't listening to Mozart rewarding enough without believing it makes you smarter? This article (though not the study it describes, that's cool) reminds me of those asinine studies which dubiously suggest rock music is bad because it makes plants wilt or mice dizzy.
You know, because people are plants.
Other Comments by Robert Maynard
4. Comment #32348 by Lord_Satorious on April 16, 2007 at 11:28 pm
The MythBusters tested music on plants and how it affects growth... can you guess what genre assisted in the largest plants being grown? The most hardcore heavy death metal they could find. Apparently, even plants like to headbang, err, leafbang, or whatever part of the plant is analogous to the human head.Mozart is good and all, but for my money, I prefer Wagner.
Other Comments by Lord_Satorious
5. Comment #32380 by Robert Maynard on April 17, 2007 at 1:19 am
That is awesome - but still indicates nothing! :D*rocks out*
Other Comments by Robert Maynard
6. Comment #32382 by scottishgeologist on April 17, 2007 at 1:23 am
Lord_Satorius,You have just made my day! "Leafbanging!" ROFLMAO!!
And just to keep the amusement levels high, how about this picture:
http://www.kapelovitz.com/christianmetal.htm
(The article is quite interesting too)
Of course when it comes to music and faith, you really have to look at some of the album covers to get a proper feel for it. Have a look at this lot - these are notorious album covers, note how many of them are "faith based"
http://www.atlantaillustrated.com/blogs/blog02/2005_05_01_atlantablog02.asp
There is actually a website devoted to bad album covers www.bizarrerecords.com
Other Comments by scottishgeologist
7. Comment #32396 by Aidan86 on April 17, 2007 at 2:05 am
Of course listening to Mozart passively will have no effect. It's listening to it with an understanding of what it is and what it represents that will have a positive effect on you. I'm not sure about IQ points, but there's a lot you can learn from listening to the great composers. It will greatly expand your world view and teach you a lot about human nature. There are certain things that cannot be expressed in our limited verbal language.Other Comments by Aidan86
8. Comment #32398 by Logicel on April 17, 2007 at 2:09 am
scottishgeologist, hilarious annotated bad album covers link. Thanks, you made my day! Other Comments by Logicel
9. Comment #32400 by Logicel on April 17, 2007 at 2:16 am
Brains become fit and stay fit when they are used. To me it makes sense, that passive listening to music would not add to brain fitness, and actively learning how to play music with a focus to excel at it, would encourage brain fitness.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_fitness
Other Comments by Logicel
10. Comment #32409 by Rtambree on April 17, 2007 at 2:54 am
If you want to get smarter by listening to stuff, I suggest audiobooks, lecture podcasts & webcasts, and Teaching Company courses...http://www.teach12.com/teach12.asp?ai=16281
Other Comments by Rtambree
11. Comment #32413 by Philip1978 on April 17, 2007 at 3:11 am
Not Marilyn Manson then? hehehe! Other Comments by Philip1978
12. Comment #32438 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 4:31 am
I agree that Mozart won't make you smarter, but listening to and understanding his music, will surely enhance your life. He's a little on the light side for my taste but undoubtedly a musical master. For me, nobody comes close to Beethoven, pure genius of the highest order. Ludo's music encompasses the entire range of human emotion and experience, the Newton of music; a one-off; his like will never be seen again.To not love Beethoven, is not to be alive! Indeed, I credit him for never having had a headache or a day's depression in my life. At times of loss or sadness an hour's worth of Ludo fills me with strength and appreciation of the beauty of existence.
Both my kids once told me that the best thing I ever did for them was to raise them on a diet of Beethoven. If I sound like an evangelist for Ludo, then you're right, I am. If you need converting, just listen to his only violin concerto, if you're musical and human, it will change your life.
End of sermon!
Other Comments by Yorker
13. Comment #32441 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 4:43 am
10. Comment #32409 by Rtambree I almost agree with you, but I'd change "smarter" to "knowledgeable" in your statement. I think it's very difficult, perhaps impossible, to increase basic intelligence.
Other Comments by Yorker
14. Comment #32446 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 5:09 am
It seems clear there is a "use-it-or-lose-it" effect with regard to brain power, but I've found it declines with age no matter how much you use it, I know I'm not as sharp now as I was when a young man. The effect is partially offset by age-gained experience which can sometimes mask a decline in intelligence.A few examples:
I've always been a fast learner, I had what was known as a "photographic memory". I could read a page in a book then recite the page by closing my eyes and reading the "picture" of the page in my mind's eye. I can no longer do this, the picture is now faded and fragmented.
When I look back at computer code I wrote 20 years ago it seems like the work of someone better than me, I've lost some elegance, that most desirable of coding art. The same goes for circuit design, my past work is that of a finer artificer.
Often colleagues have said my skills seem undiminished, they're either being kind, or are fooled by the veil of experience I wear.
Other Comments by Yorker
15. Comment #32451 by mikeshin on April 17, 2007 at 5:30 am
I remember in the 90's after that first study came out, there was a trend here where pregnant women were putting their walkman headphones on their bellies and playing classical music for their unborn babies to help give them a brain boost. Very funny!Logicel is right, actively learning to play music and practicing absolutely will stimulate brain activity more than passive listening. I am sure that the future studies will determine that while it may not increase IQ which is probably genetic, it is likely to make one more capable of using their brain effectively.
Yorker, Beethoven is awesome, his piano sonatas got me through college and keep me sane.
Other Comments by mikeshin
16. Comment #32453 by Fishpeddler on April 17, 2007 at 5:37 am
I find that country music is best at improving my intelligence. It's not a direct effect, though. If I hear it playing, I think, "This is terrible!", turn off the radio and pick up a good book. Presto! I feel really smart![I guess I'm not particularly smart if I bait the country music fans like this. They carry far more shotguns on the rack of their pick-up trucks than I do] ;)
Other Comments by Fishpeddler
17. Comment #32456 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 5:45 am
17. Comment #32453 by Fishpeddler Very amusing :)
When people ask what kind of music I like, I say: "All kinds except country music". The genre always reminds me of Buddy Rich's comment about it: "Bad music with a cowboy hat".
Other Comments by Yorker
18. Comment #32458 by scottishgeologist on April 17, 2007 at 5:48 am
I definitely go along with Yorker's comments on Beethoven - the violin concerto is sublime. Actually one of my best Beethoven moments was when in the car, parked at the side of the road in Glen Torridon (for those of you who are familiar with the place, you'll get a feel for this) Massive thunderstorm, serious lightning and thunder. On the radio (Radio 3) Beethoven's 7th Symphony was playing. Could not have had a better soundtrack. Love the piano sonatas as well.
On a differnet note (!) Logicel, glad you liked that link - I was in fits first time I saw those pictures.
Other Comments by scottishgeologist
19. Comment #32476 by scottishgeologist on April 17, 2007 at 6:18 am
Oh yes, a few more ludicrous albums for you:This from a South African site:
http://www.africans.co.za/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=959
Look at that "All my friends are dead" !!
Amd good old Landover Baptist has got this page of crackers (scroll down a bit to see them)
http://www.landoverbaptist.net/showthread.php?t=2024
Some of these are openly racist as well as ridiculous... But of course, being Landover Baptist, they are probably all spoofs anyway...
PS: Note that "I wrestled with God" cover. The guy's name is Phelps!!! Hmmmmm...
Other Comments by scottishgeologist
20. Comment #32480 by mr gollo on April 17, 2007 at 6:33 am
Breaking news; Germans claim famous Austrian not as good for your children as thought...In next weeks edition; Beethoven was better than Mozart: Official Findings, and don't miss our exclusive feature: Hitler wasn't German either...
:)
Other Comments by mr gollo
21. Comment #32484 by Joe Morris on April 17, 2007 at 6:40 am
Im a hiphop artist and most people seem to regard my lyrics as intelligent thank you very much... bit of a broad statement from poster no.1 . Id like to think some people might learn something from my work actually.(Richard Dawkins is listed as a hero in my debut album inlay, whether he'd appreciate this or not is a moot point)
Other Comments by Joe Morris
22. Comment #32514 by franciebrady on April 17, 2007 at 8:41 am
I'm a classically trained clarinetist, a fond music listener of broad set of genres, and I've worked both as a performer and in the administration of various arts organizations, and I've known for some time that the "Mozart Effect" was complete bunk. I used to work in Development for the Utah Symphony and the Hartford Symphony, and I would always talk to donors who would go on and on about how classical music could enhance cognitive ability, as if it was the best reason to listen to Mozart. One woman even suggested that expecting women should place speakers on their abdomens so that their unborn could benefit.I think that if you are listening to classical music because you think it acts like some sort of "smart pill", you miss the point entirely. The worst thing about people who jaw on and on about the "Mozart Effect" is that it reinforces the perception in many people's minds that classical music is elitist and inaccessibly cerebral. The best reason to listen to classical music is because it can be beautiful, entertaining, and deeply and intensely emotionally moving. You don't have to know a major chord from a minor chord to appreciate it, and you certainly shouldn't listen to it just because you're going to be taking a math test in twenty minutes.
Other Comments by franciebrady
23. Comment #32529 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 9:40 am
19. Comment #32458 by scottishgeologist Ah yes, I know the place well but in that weather the "storm" in the 6th symphony would have perhaps been more appropriate. But I'm with you on the 7th as well, especially the second movement.
Other Comments by Yorker
24. Comment #32531 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 9:53 am
23. Comment #32514 by franciebrady "The worst thing about people who jaw on and on about the "Mozart Effect" is that it reinforces the perception in many people's minds that classical music is elitist and inaccessibly cerebral."
Yes indeed, couldn't agree more. People have accused me of elitism more than once for my love of classical music and opera. For those who think opera is elitist, I point to the poor people of Milan, real buffas, who know more about opera than most of the glitzies and corporates who unfortunately take an undeservedly high percentage of opera seats.
With regard to classical, I tell them of my daughter. One day I found her lying on the couch wearing headphones; tears were running down her cheeks. When asked why she was crying she said: "It's the music Dad, but I'm OK". She was listening to Beethoven's 6th symphony and she was six years old at the time.
Other Comments by Yorker
25. Comment #32536 by nepeta on April 17, 2007 at 10:25 am
music is math, if you pay attention in the melody and rhythm of complex music like classical music and some kinds of jazz and progressive rock, your brain will be exercising to find patterns on it. Surely that Mozart, Bach or Miles Davis will make you more intelligent than Madonna and Michael Jackson.
Other Comments by nepeta
26. Comment #32537 by nepeta on April 17, 2007 at 10:27 am
I'm also often considered elitist because of my music taste.But how could I like TOP 40?
It's pure garbage.
Other Comments by nepeta
27. Comment #32539 by WilliamP on April 17, 2007 at 10:30 am
Here's an idea: to make your kids smarter, how about making sure they learn formal logic and problem solving skills? That might actually work.Other Comments by WilliamP
28. Comment #32540 by Mr. Mark on April 17, 2007 at 10:31 am
Those of us who were in the music biz when the Mozart-makes-you-smarter BS came out saw it for what it was: a marketing ploy.Was it any wonder that the study was released when the world was celebrating the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death in 1992? I don't think so. The timing was everything.
Music - any music - that is listened to casually soon devloves into background filler. To imagine that a casual exposure to Mozart's music (and a specific piece of music at that!) could make anyone and everyone instantly smarter didn't pass the smell test back then. It's good to see it confirmed 15 years down the road.
Other Comments by Mr. Mark
29. Comment #32572 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 12:23 pm
21. Comment #32480 by mr gollo That's right, Hitler was not German, it's well-known that he was Austrian.
Other Comments by Yorker
30. Comment #32576 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 12:35 pm
27. Comment #32537 by nepeta I have to agree that there's much garbage around, people argue that music is subjective etc, etc. No doubt it is but I'm still convinced there is good music and bad music. It can be simply tested; good music stands the test of time, it is immune to fashion and other transient follies.
Crap music is here today and gone tomorrow (thankfully) and often fashion-based, much of today's stuff won't be remembered next month, never mind hundreds of years as the great music is.
Other Comments by Yorker
31. Comment #32581 by franciebrady on April 17, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Yorker:Not to knitpick, but quite a lot of truly incredible music has fallen by the wayside. J.S. Bach comes immediately to mind. After his death, his music was largely ignored until Mendelssohn began championing it over a hundred years later.
I worry that classical music is slowly losing its cultural relevance, that the particular sensitivities needed to appreciate Bach or Mahler or Mozart are being eroded.
Shakespeare is ackowledged by most to be a genius, the best to have put words on paper. How many laypersons now can claim to have read any of his plays?
Other Comments by franciebrady
32. Comment #32586 by crazy4blues on April 17, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Nepeta, not all top 40 is bad. Remember, Lennon and McCartny had some top 40 at one point. Other Comments by crazy4blues
33. Comment #32597 by Steelman on April 17, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Scottishgeologist, take a look at album #5 "#5- Orleans- Waking and Dreaming" at the album covers link you provided in your previous post: http://www.atlantaillustrated.com/blogs/blog02/2005_05_01_atlantablog02.aspThat's John Hall in the middle, one of our newest congresspersons here in the U.S.!
http://tinyurl.com/2jfu37
Other Comments by Steelman
34. Comment #32599 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 2:36 pm
32. Comment #32581 by franciebrady Yes, I agree, it's a pity that in every human endeavour there are always those who are under-rated.
"I worry that classical music is slowly losing its cultural relevance, that the particular sensitivities needed to appreciate Bach or Mahler or Mozart are being eroded."
You make a good point here; my theory is that it has to do with today's society being infested with instant gratification junkies. Like all worthwhile things, the more you put in the more you get out, classical music is no exception, it requires effort that the junkies can't give. I'm convinced that most people who say they don't like classical music really don't know what they're saying, they just don't have the patience to listen long enough for the light to come on. It's either that or they're just not musical people.
I cannot imagine not being musical, what a horrific world that would be, although I sometimes wish I could temporarily switch it off when a particular piece replays itself again and again in my head, I'd far rather suffer that than monotony.
Other Comments by Yorker
35. Comment #32609 by scottishgeologist on April 17, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Steelman, thanks for that link - that's amazing isnt it? The transformation!!! When you read the article, it appears that he was quite radical back then and sounds quite radical now, so he sounds OK. Actually, that album cover isnt really too bad when you consider the times - there were millions of guys who looked like that at the time.
On the other hand, that John Bult album cover is just hideous.... really disturbing.... I love the comments underneath it.
Other Comments by scottishgeologist
36. Comment #32713 by Vronsky on April 18, 2007 at 4:50 am
I didn't know what to make of the claims of a 'Mozart Effect'. Although I'm a big classical fan, like Glenn Gould, Maria Callas and many others I find Mozart very thin and dull. But saying so can evince a reaction very like the one you encounter when challenging religion - not 'you're wrong' but 'how dare you!'. Gould actually once said in an interview that he didn't tell a particular famous conductor of his distaste for Mozart because 'it is difficult to tell someone that they have been worshipping the wrong god'.I said I didn't know what to make of the claim, because in the course of getting a maths degree I almost always listened to Bach while working. I didn't think it made me smarter, but it created an atmosphere of cool, perfectly patterned logicality ideally suited to what I was doing. There are many examples of music being used successfully as therapy, and perhaps attributing changes of intelligence such uses is simply a flaw in the experimental method, or a misinterpretation of its results.
Other Comments by Vronsky
37. Comment #32725 by Ole on April 18, 2007 at 5:32 am
Vronsky,Like you, I listen a lot to J.S. Bach. He is my favourite composer. (I like Mozart also).
But as atheists, we are sometimes met by this:
In the Latin Bible at Romans 16:27 and Jude 25 we find the words "Soli Deo Gloria"—"to the only God be glory." This was to become J.S.B.'s motto. He would sign his works—whether sacred, such as "The St. Matthew Passion," or "secular," such as the light-hearted "Coffee Cantata," with these letters: S.D.G.
Actually, to Bach there was no difference between sacred and secular. All works, he maintained, should be to the glory of God.
Some even claim that if you do not listen to J.S.B. with this (S.D.G.) in mind, you are just using him as "muzak". By some of these people, J.S.B is called the "Evangelical Musical Genius".
Ole
Other Comments by Ole
38. Comment #32755 by Philip1978 on April 18, 2007 at 7:10 am
I have played Piano, Cello, Violin, Clarinet, Trumpet and have been playing guitar for nearly 16 years. I am a bit of an Elgar fan amongst other composers. On top of that I have been to the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, The Sydney Opera house and even a live performance of Handel's firework music (Incredibly good idea of Handel's it has to be said!). I still went and posted a howlingly stupid comment on the circumcision article, I guess I had best go eat more fish, that's brain food isn't it? Other Comments by Philip1978
39. Comment #32975 by Shuggy on April 18, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Shaker2007 wrote:Ooops, with one or two exceptions I can't stand Mozart. My bad.
Seriously, many people don't really like Mozart until they're in their 30s. Britten didn't. I didn't. (Namedropping and anecdotal!)
(So the question arises, did Mozart appreciate Mozart before he died?)
And yes, scottishgeologist, the thunderstorm is in the 6th (the Pastoral).
Other Comments by Shuggy
40. Comment #33349 by Adam's Apple on April 19, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Haydn did tell Leopold that his son was 'the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name', so I'm sure he had some idea. For me, no other composer comes close to Mozart. As Einstein said, his music is 'so pure that it seemed to have been ever-present in the universe, waiting to be discovered by the master'. How anyone can think it's 'thin' or 'dull' is beyond me.Doesn't make you smarter though.
Other Comments by Adam's Apple
41. Comment #53665 by Jammo on July 2, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Mozart-effect? I'd rather have it tried with Bach...Anyway, we played a lot of Vivaldi, Mozart and Bach during the last months of my wife's two pregnancies. She even put the headphones on her bulging belly ever so often. Mozart did not soothe the developing beings but for some strange reason Vivaldi and Bach did.
Other Comments by Jammo
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1. Comment #32330 by Convertedchristian on April 16, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Rap makes me dumber and thats all I need to know.Other Comments by Convertedchristian