The drug Adderall, also known as "the study drug", has ignited increased interest on college campuses around the world. But most students have underestimated the potent effects that listening to an excerpt of any one of Mozart's classical sonatas can have on the human brain. According to a 1993 University of California study by Frances H. Rauscher, this musical stimulus has been proven to induce a short-term memory improvement, important for studying for the big test. Also, he concluded that listening can help spatial-temporal reasoning, a skill the brain has for solving abstract problems. Through the investigation of Rauscher, he found that participants scored the highest on the Stanford-Binet IQ Test when exposed to Mozart rather than pure silence.
I have always felt it is important to not only find a quiet place to study, but to incorporate some type of soothing music that can keep me relaxed and focused on the material I am studying. Therefore, when researching about this phenomenon I was curious on one particular aspect of the Mozart Theory. Is it specifically Mozart's sonatas that facilitate this increase in cognitive thinking or does it depend on the musical taste of the individual? I wondered if listening to heavy metal or rap music, genres that are not considered ambient and calming, can actually have a positive effect on those individuals who find the music most appealing. It is an angle worth investigating! Fire away with what you believe.
In conclusion, next time your thinking of buying the pill, look for the guy on the corner selling the Mozart CD instead. I've included a fresh sample of the product below.
Sources:
College students take ADHD drugs for better grades - http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/01/health/drugs-adderall-concentration/index.html
Mozart effect- http://www.skepdic.com/mozart.html
I have noticed that when I listen to classical music while I study I am more productive and I am able to concentrate easier. I definitely agree with your post and it is nice to see that actual research has been conducted to support these findings. I also have the similar curiosity regarding different genres of music and their different effects on people. Very helpful, I will definitely be listening to more classical music while studying after reading this.
I think listening to music in general is probably what is affecting the brain and that limiting the effect to classical music, much less just Mozart is arbitrary. But I also agree that i study best when i load up a playlist of songs I find appealing and that it is much better to do that than pop a pill.
Classical music is most definitely the way to go for grinding out hours of homework. I've been listening to classical music, by Mozart and Beethoven especially, since the start of my college career. I use Pandora to cycle through different sonatas. Occasionally I will switch to other general music, but I feel classical music puts you in the best mood for studying.