Bobby Chang
English 1102 Warwick
April 27, 2002


How does music affect one's intellect?

Music is said to affect the intellect of humans in several different ways. Specifically, it is said to affect infants more than any other age group. Music can improve learning skills, test taking skills, concentration, heartbeat, and relaxation. Music has been proven to offer several benefits for infants, young children, young adults, as well as for adults.
With all of this in mind, how can one connect music with intellect? Many recent research studies focus on theoretically proving the way in which music improves cognitive thinking. These studies show that early learning experiences determine which neurons will connect with other neurons and which ones will die off. Connections between neurons (synaptic connections) are largely related to adult intelligence. They increase at the fastest rate during the first six years of a human life. Music training is said to develop synaptic connections that are related to abstract thought. For this reason, the number of music lessons given at ages six and younger are dramatically increasing.
The right hemisphere of a human brain serves to process information in a spontaneous or intuitive way.
For example, the way in which a person responds to the art of music is a form of an intuitive process of thinking. The left hemisphere of a human brain functions to process information in a linear or sequential way. Learning subjects such as Math or English are prime examples of this process. After using a brain scanning technique, scientists discovered that musicians had a 25% enlargement in the area of response in the right side of the brain. This enlargement was greater for musicians who began studying music at young ages. New born babies tend to use the right hemisphere before the left; they react to pitch and visual changes instantly before reacting to counting or words. Therefore, babies are exposed to music and rhymes.
Infants and adults respond to music in similar ways. Infants and adults were tested in order to examine any possible relationship between each group’s reaction upon hearing music. During the experiment, infants were found to immediately turn their heads towards the music when any was presented. Similarly, when the test was given to adults, they responded in the same manner. These tests show that the patterns of responses in both babies and adults are the same, concluding that the human brain reacts to pitch changes regardless of age.
Besides being beneficial for infants, music is quite advantageous to many adolescents, especially to those with learning deficiencies. Children with severe learning deficiencies can benefit from constant music exposure. A study was done on a seven-year-old girl with an autistic condition, which caused her to use gestures and occasional words instead of full sentences. After enrolling in a program that inter-related piano playing with speaking, the young girl's speaking ability improved remarkably.
Alhough music is significantly valuable for children with learning disabilities, it still has many benefits to those adolescents with average cognitive capabilities. In 1994, scientists conducted an experiment using three groups of preschoolers. One group received private piano and keyboard lessons; the second group received private computer lessons; and the third group received no training at all. After four months, the children who received piano and keyboard lessons scored 34% higher on abstract reasoning tests than the other pupils. This test reinforces the idea that music can have a great impact on the intelligence of adolescents.
Music also offers several advantages for college students. College students were given standard tests of reasoning and were exposed to three different types of music, each for a span of ten minutes. The research showed that the performance of the students improved after listening to the music of Mozart. Scientists believe the improvements were due to the structure of Mozart's music, which aided the students' cognitive processing.
In 1993, a physicist named Gordon Shaw and Frances Rauscher, a professional cellist and expert in cognitive development, initiated the idea of the Mozart Effect. Both were from the University of California at Irvine, and they designed an experiment to prove that listening to Mozart’s music has a positive effect on the human brain. The subjects used in their study were college students; these students listened to ten minutes of Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major. After listening to the music, the students were given the Stanford-Binet IQ Test. The test results showed a temporary enhancement of spatial reasoning and memory.
Shaw and Rauscher repeated the same experiment several times using different testing techniques. Students showed improvements of up to 51 points on the Standardized Achievement Test. Students were also given other tests, including one that involved paper cutting and folding. After listening to a relaxation test and a moment of silence, students’ scores increased 8 to 9 points.
The results from the Mozart Effect were quickly published in scientific journals. Although some people disagreed with the results, the article was so appealing that many scientists as well as citizens accepted the Mozart Effect as a “universal truth”.
Even though many people agree with the Mozart Effect, there are still those in controversy with the idea. Soon after Rauscher and Shaw completed their project, researchers at the University of Auckland tried to replicate it. They found no results and concluded that the Mozart Effect indeed did not exist. Critics of the Mozart Effect wonder why the world’s smartest people are not Mozart specialists. They feel that music may serve several purposes such as coordinating physical labor, keeping an army in step, and providing a powerful means for emotional self-reflection, illumination, and expression; however, the one thing that music cannot overcome is will.
Not only does music affect intellect, but it also benefits health. This reasoning is due to a person’s heartbeat. A slower heartbeat indicates relaxation. Students usually study in quiet, relaxed surroundings while listening to serene music. Classical music can steady a fast heartbeat. For example, a student’s heartbeat may increase due to test anxiety. An adagio-tempo song might slow the heartbeat and help the student loosen up and relax.
Exercise plays a crucial role in maintaining good health, and music can be beneficial to this. Music reduces muscle tension, resulting in a better, more efficient work out. Scientists performed controlled studies using adult males who were approximately 25 years old. Scientists took blood samples before and after treadmill running. The experiment found that with the presence of music, heart rate, blood pressure, and lactate secretion in the brain were significantly lower. The results proved that music improves workouts and reduces stress.
Music benefits infants, young children, college students, and adults. Experiments relating exposure to music and intelligence are ubiquitous and usually positive. Music is gaining the reputation of having more power than it generally did in the past. Different types of music create different effects depending on the person. Listening to an up beat, fast song might give someone energy to work out; listening to a soft, relaxing song might put a person to sleep; and listening to Mozart may enhance spatial reasoning and memory in the brain. Whatever the situation may be, music seems to have a purely benefiting effect.