The exact effects of music on the brain are barely understood. The "Mozart Effect," which proposes that listening to Mozart increases intelligence, gained widespread attention in recent history--even leading Georgia Governor Zell Miller to offer to spend over $100,000 on classical music CDs for infants. However, the actual science behind that theory is not currently clear.
Brain Stimulation
Most experts agree that music has an effect on the brain. The exact effect, however, is widely disputed. Only a few studies have examined brain wave activity caused by listening to music. Measurements taken using an electroencephalogram (EEG) have revealed that the left and right hemispheres are active while listening to music. Many different parts of the brain are involved in processing music, including the auditory cortex, frontal cortex, cerebral cortex and even the motor cortex. The brain activity resulting from listening to music is so complex that scientists have very little understanding of exactly what music does to the brain.
Memory and Learning
One of the most controversial areas of research regarding music's effect on the brain relates to memory and learning. A much-hyped study led by Frances Rauscher at the Univserity of California-Irvine in 1993 showed a beneficial effect on test scores among college undergraduates who had listened to a Mozart piano sonata before taking the test. However, many other researches have been unable to repeat those effects, leading to questions about the validy of Rausher's study. This so-called "Mozart Effect" has been attributed by other researchers to be the result of heightened arousal from listening to music, suggesting that sitting in silence before a test actually impaired test performance. To date, no clear consensus has emerged on the effects of music on memory and learning.
Mood
Some research has suggested that music has a calming effect on the brain. Some studies have shown that background music played in premature birth intensive care units causes the premature infants to gain weight at an increased pace, allowing them to leave intensive care earlier, says Harvard neuroscientist Mark Jude Tramo in an article published in the Harvard Gazette. Other studies have shown that music played during mealtimes in nursing homes helps keep Alzheimer's patients calm and reduces disagreements between residents. Another result of the calming effect of music is decreased blood pressure and heart rate.
Epilepsy
One study by a Chicago neurosurgeon showed that listening to music, specifically Mozart, reduced the incidence of epileptic attacks. However, much more research needs to be done be music could be used as a treatment for epilepsy.
References
- Washington University - Neuroscience for Kids: The Musical Brain
- Harvard University Gazette: Music on the Brain
- Indiana University-Human Intelligence: The Mozart Effect
- "Annals of General Hospital Psychiatry"; Psychophysiology and psychoacoustics of music: Perception of complex sound in normal subjects and psychiatric patients; Stefanos A Iakovides, et al; March 2004
- BBC News: Mozart 'Can Cut Epilepsy'
