Brain and Music Research

Studies have shown that musical ability and IQ are often linked. Brain and music research has been studied since the early 1990s, and psychologists today are even more convinced that playing music and listening to music have positive effects on learning skills.

One popular studied that linked brain and music research was done by Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis in the book Pourquoi Mozart? This work detailed what would become known as the Mozart effect, a theory expanded upon by Frances Rauscher that asserts that listening to Mozart's music could temporarily boost spatial intelligence scores. However, many publications misconstrued the results of studies on the Mozart effect, claiming that listening to Mozart actually boosted overall IQ scores, which it did not. Other scientists dismiss the results from the Mozart effect, claiming that the boost in spatial intelligence is minor, and this effect only occurred due to "enjoyment arousal." Despite these objections, the playing of music during testing in combination with eating brain foods gained some popularity in school systems.

While studies in brain and music research that link listening to music to increased IQ are questionable at best, the ability to read music and play a musical instrument does seem to significantly improve overall intelligence. Studies, like those done by E. Glenn Schellenberg, have indicated that learning to play music, especially the piano, increases students' abilities in mathematics and spatial intelligence. The argument of these psychologists is that young children should definitely be learning how to play music to increase their mental abilities.

Regardless of the validity of brain and music research, music has an influential place in popular culture and is worth of study by people of all ages.