Can Music Make Me Smarter?

In 1993, a study published that listening to Mozart produced an increase in spatial reasoning skills [1], a phenomenon dubbed The Mozart Effect. It sparked heavy debates in the society about the relationship between classical music listening, education, and intelligence.

by Claudia Willmes

The hype dampened after scientists failed to show that music has a sustainable increase in general IQ. Unfortunately, exposure to Mozart’s music does not raise the IQ, but maybe learning to play an instrument does?
Music performance relies on action-perception-loops calling for focused attention on visual, auditory and motor signals. Can this training of high-level cognitive skills in children who learn to play an instrument enhance their performance in domains outside music? Indeed organized music lessons appear to benefit children's IQ and academic performance; and the longer the instruction continues, the larger the effect [2]. Musicians also show greater word memory [3]. Thus, it is no longer a question of whether musical training is associated with higher cognitive abilities.

How is Music Education Linked to IQ?
Children with higher IQ have the cognitive ability to handle the challenges of music lessons. Learning to read and perform music might lead to improved intellectual functioning and exaggerate the advantage of a higher IQ [2].
Another theory is that musical training enhances verbal memory processing due to neuro-anatomical changes in the left temporal lobe. Magnetic resonance imaging has shown that the left temporal area is larger in musicians than non-musicians [3]. Music training in childhood may therefore have long-term positive effects on verbal memory.

MUSIC LESSONS IMPROVE VERBAL MEMORY

 


Musicians also have more developed anterior portions of the corpus callosum (fibers that join the hemispheres) than non-musicians [4]. An increase in size suggests a greater merging between the spatial-emotiono-tonal processing of the right hemisphere and the linguistical processing of the left hemisphere. This large relaying across different brain areas might contribute to music's ability to aid in memory function.
So learn music and boost your IQ!

[1] Rauscher et al, Nature, 1998
[2] Schellenberg et al, J Educ Psychol,1998
[3] Chan et al, Nature, 1998
[4] Schlaug, Ann N Y Acad Sci, 2001

by Claudia Willmes, PhD Student AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz
This article originally appeared 2015 in CNS Volume 8, Issue 2, Art. And the Brain.