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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.