What Is The Mozart Effect

The supposed Mozart effect on intelligence has been controversial since the 1990s. The first published scientific articles endorsed a certain influence of the music of the most universal Austrian on intellectual performance, but detractors also appeared.

Scientific evidence is not conclusive. What has prospered is a powerful marketing of books, CDs and other merchandise. This material is based above all on the honest interest of parents in wanting to enhance the intelligence of their children.

But let’s look at some of the evidence behind the Mozart effect. so that we can enjoy with our children the musical genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, without being victims of false beliefs or speculations that only go after our money.

This is how the Mozart effect began

In 1991, the researcher Alfred A. Tomatis published the book Pourquoi Mozart, in which he explained that using a methodology of his own, he could help in the process of healing patients with depression with the music of Mozart.

Later, in 1993, the psychologist Frances Rauches published an article in the journal Nature titled Music and Spatial Task Performance . In the text, he explained the results that 36 students had obtained while taking tests of spatio-temporal reasoning.

The study separated the students into groups. Some listened to Mozart’s two-piano sonata in D major, others listened to relaxation instructions, and a third group was silently doing the tests. The researchers found that those who had heard the Mozart piece had better results.

The news spread throughout the world. Thousands of headlines began to sell the idea that Mozart’s music could stimulate the brain and increase intelligence. However, the study published in  Nature  had not been done in children and only spoke of a very modest and momentary improvement in the Intelligence Quotient in a few university students.

The commercial impact of the Mozart effect grows

After the media boom , the commercial exploded. The first CDs appeared featuring music by the Austrian author for babies and mothers and fathers. Behind that play was Don Campbel, an American musician who had no connection with the Rauches studio.

Campbel published two bestsellers in which he spoke of the Mozart effect to cure all kinds of ills. In fact, he coined and recorded the term Mozart effect. Then came a dozen more CDs touting the benefits of the Mozart effect.

In 1998, the government of the state of Georgia, United States, began delivering CDs of Mozart’s music to giving birth mothers. The same example was followed by other states. Concerts for babies were organized and sales of material related to the Mozart effect skyrocketed.

Scientific controversy fuels the Mozart effect

Between 1999 and 2013, researchers from different universities around the world have discredited the possible influence of the Mozart effect on the intelligence of babies, children and adults.

Listening to music in general and more if it is to the liking of the listener, can improve some brain skills. Doing so invites relaxation and stimulates creativity, but skill gains are circumstantial, statistically insignificant, and momentary.

Research such as that carried out by a research team from the University of Vienna studied the impact of Mozart’s music or any other type of music on human intelligence. The results showed that music does not make anyone intelligent.

Frances Rauches herself agreed with her critics. He stated that they had never said that Mozart served to increase the intelligence of children. Furthermore, he was appalled at all the commercial overexploitation that its publication provoked.

Despite studies discrediting the so-called Mozart effect, the commercial boom continued to rise. Millions of mothers and fathers continue to play the music of the brilliant Mozart for their children, even before they are born. The effects of music therapy are also recognized, which does not necessarily use Mozart’s music.

What mothers and fathers say

Especially on the internet, there are different publications of fathers and mothers who give testimonies of how their children, after listening to Mozart, obtain good academic results and stand out in front of their fellow students. What can we do with this empirical evidence?

It is our individual decision whether we want to believe or not. There is a huge market behind the Mozart effect. However, this does not discredit the genius of the music created by the artist. A musical heritage that belongs to humanity, which is much richer and more diverse than the sonata that became famous.

If we enjoy Mozart, if we feel that it is perfect for prenatal stimulation exercises and if our children enjoy listening to this music or any other while studying or doing their homework, we do not have to deprive ourselves of this musical pleasure. Listening to the music of Mozart will never be negative for anyone.