The Mozart Effect

Another reason to listen to classical musicˇH

1.
It's test season again in Taiwan, and many students are looking for ways to help them study more effectively. One method some students use is to listen to classical music while studying. Among the reported benefits of this method are improved memory, higher IQ, and better performance on tests. But before you rush out to buy CDs, it'd be smart to take a closer look at the research behind the reports.

2.
An experiment conducted by two psychologists in 1993 first showed that listening to classical music might have an effect on the brain. The findings were very specific: people listening to Mozart were slightly better at mental imagery.?This surprising effect of classical music soon came to be known as the ˇ§Mozart effect.ˇ¨

3.
Mental imagery has to do with one's ability to process images in the brain. Playing chess and completing a maze, for example, are two things that require mental imagery. Therefore, listening to Mozart might indeed make you a better chess player, but this does not mean that you'd be any smarter or would perform any better on tests.

4.
But there is still a lot of debate about exactly what the Mozart effect is and what its benefits are. Some studies have shown that listening to music while studying can actually be distracting. If you're a student preparing for exams, you might try doing what students have been doing for centuries: find a quiet place and study.