The Mozart Effect suggests that listening to Mozart's music can temporarily improve cognitive performance, especially spatial reasoning.

Music training can improve visual working memory, related to spatial reasoning, as shown in a Music Perception journal study.

Music activates both sides of the brain, enhancing productivity, focus, and mood, and leading to better cognitive performance.

The Mozart Effect is linked to improved mental performance, stimulating creativity and aiding brain activity.

Not all studies have found a direct causal link between music training and cognitive faculties.

Research has found that slow-tempo music can slow cognitive processing speed and worsen performance.

Music can improve attention span and reduce test anxiety in elementary school students.

A study found that integrating music into lessons improves math scores in children, suggesting a positive impact on spatial reasoning tasks.

More research is needed to understand the Mozart Effect's impact on elementary school students' cognitive performance.

Age, cognitive ability, and musical experience influence the effect of music on learning, including the Mozart Effect.

Mozart's music contains high-frequency waves that stimulate the nervous system and improve physiological function and concentration.

Individual differences, like age and cognitive ability, can impact the cognitive benefits of listening to Mozart's music.

The Mozart Effect improves cognitive performance in spatial tasks by boosting attention and receptivity, with lyric-free music being ideal for writing and concentration.

The Mozart Effect suggests that listening to Mozart's music can temporarily improve cognitive performance, especially spatial reasoning.

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Inicio » English » Inspiration » The Sound of Success: Ideas in Music for Concentration and Productivity

The Sound of Success: Ideas in Music for Concentration and Productivity

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Does music help you concentrate? Since we spend a lot of time in front of computers trying to finish our work, wouldn’t it be nice to listen to some of music to help concentrate? Well, music lovers, it seems like Mozart and Beethoven could actually help you with your productivity. Beethoven once said: «Music is where the spirit lives, thinks and invents.»

This relationship between music and the brain is an area that has been intensively explored in research. Many studies point to the ability of music to help employees be more productive and help children in their learning process more effectively. University research in France found that students who listened to music for an hour while reading, scored significantly higher on a questionnaire compared to a group of students who read without music.

Your attention span is better when listening to music

It seems that music for concentration puts students in a heightened emotional state, so that they can be more receptive to information. «It is possible that music causes a change in the learning environment and influenced students’ motivation to stay focused while reading, which led to better performance on a multiple-choice questionnaire,» concluded the french research team in a recent article.

But before you start playing any type, you have to find the music that works better for the type of work you are trying to carry do. For example, the classic from the Baroque period is said to do wonders for brain activity when you are studying or writing. But not all classical music is created equal, so dramatic changes and complicated fugue changes may not be as conducive as a smooth piano piece. So if you have to choose a composer, we would say Mozart. There seems to be evidence that Mozart’s improves mental performance: it is called «The Mozart Effect”.

Build a harmonious space

If you don’t like classical, the discreet sound found in ambient music may work well for you instead. What is the purpose of this if you are not at the airport, you ask? Well, for creative purposes, it’s better than emptiness and silence. According to one of its pioneers, musician Brian Eno: “Background music must be able to accommodate many levels of attention when listening, without forcing one in particular. It must be as ignorable as it is interesting ”.

In fact, researchers have shown that a moderate level of noise, such as that found in the environment, can actually get creative juices flowing. Music with especially low-lows or especially high-highs should be avoided. Certain types of jazz instrumental melodies can also get your brain working.

Music without lyrics

In general, if you are doing work that requires writing, you should avoid listening to music with lyrics as the words in a song are especially destructive to your concentration. Since hearing words activates the brain’s language center, attempting to perform tasks related to another language would be like trying to have a conversation while someone else is speaking to you. But, if you are a cartoonist, and you don’t deal with sentence construction, hearing letters may not have the same effect.

Finally, studies show that listening to music you’re already familiar with may be better if you really need to focus. New songs take you into the unknown and your brain will want to listen closely to see what comes next. With the music you are familiar with you know what to expect, so it doesn’t distract you from your work. And if you like the tune you’re listening to try not to whistle it while you work, as that will only distract you.

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Music training can improve visual working memory, related to spatial reasoning, as shown in a Music Perception journal study.

Title:

Content: Finding New Links Between Music Training and Cognitive Ability
Science and Technology
Copy Link https: / / en.rt.com / sw8i
Researchers have discovered that music training affects visual working memory, and a study found that areas of the brain may share a common component that affects both visual and musical working memory.
A research team from several universities around the world has asked whether music can improve cognitive abilities, and new scientific methods have been used to try to find the answer.
The research was led by scientists from the University of Music, Theatre and Media in Hanover, Germany, Goldsmith University in London, UK, Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Aesthetics (MPIEA) in Frankfurt and the University of Cambridge, UK, and the results of their study have just been published in the journal Music Perception.
Working memory is one of the crucial components of all cognitive faculties, the ability to retain information in an individual ’ s memory and make use of it without external aids, such as pen and paper.
According to research, it is still unclear whether working memory has the same function for all regions.
The brain or if it varies from one to the other, that is, whether the areas and abilities the brain uses for music, images, language, and math are the same or different.
In their study, the scientists examined a total of 148 people, through six different tests, comparing the musical and visual work memories of the research participants with their level of musical training.
Previous studies of the relationship between musical training and general cognitive abilities have tended to ignore musical memory, says lead author Peter Harrison: “What we have done is investigate these three factors using a ‘ causal modelling ’ approach, a relatively new scientific method that makes it possible to identify causal relationships under specific circumstances. ”
The results show that if musical training affects visual working memory, it does so through the "inflection" of musical working memory, in other words through its core benefits of musical working memory, musical training can have a positive effect on visual working memory as well.
The results show that if musical training affects visual working memory, it does so through the "inflection" of musical working memory.
Image in the public domain
The study showed that generally strong working memory may make musical training easier.
The team ’ s findings suggest that brain regions share a common component that affects both visual and musical working memory, yet it seems unlikely that there is a direct causal link between music training and general cognitive faculties.
Additional long-term studies comparing individuals with and without musical training in terms of their development of musical and cognitive abilities may further support these findings.
Source: Neuroscience
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Music activates both sides of the brain, enhancing productivity, focus, and mood, and leading to better cognitive performance.

Title:

Content: Stop Stressing and Start Listening: The Science Behind Listening to Music While Studying.

By: Morgan McCullough

With final exams approaching, Fondren Library buzzes with flipping pages, packed study rooms, and Starbucks lines stretched across the entire floor. Students isolate themselves with their laptops and AirPods, struggling to retrieve the study habits they lost during the pandemic. Their legs tap to the beat as they review the same page for the third time.

People struggle to remember basic math equations, yet have an entire repertoire of songs in the back of their head that can be triggered by just a tune. Music helps the mind find patterns necessary to process and absorb information over long periods of time, which is necessary when cramming for an exam. The sense of sound stimulates the nervous system and soothes one’s anxiety, allowing them to relax and refocus, says psychotherapist Amy Burnside.

“Any activity that activates the parasympathetic nervous system will help calm our amygdala, which is the fire alarm part of our brain,” Burnside said. “This helps us get back into our pre-frontal cortex, the part of the brain used in problem solving and analytical thoughts.”

Music exercises the mind and improves cognitive performance. It activates the left side of the brain, which is logical, analytical, and methodical, as well as the right side, which is emotional, creative, and subjective. Burnside says that an individual’s productivity, focus, and mood are enhanced through song.

SMU Junior Max Shuster says he never walks into a test without headphones. He claims listening to his favorite album sets the tempo for his entire day.

“The first song I listen to in the morning changes my mood for the rest of the day,” Shuster said. “It keeps me in the right mindset. It gets me focused, ready, and excited to take the exam.”

Many SMU students, such as Shuster, add soundtracks to their study sessions as a form of escapism. The notes playing in their ears harmonize with the notes on their pages to alleviate stress, aid concentration, and add background noise. Listening to an uplifting hymn is a transcendental experience with the power to shape mental states.

Just like a massage relaxes the muscles, a soothing song can relax the mind, reduce stress, and elevate one’s mood. SMU Senior and tennis player Kathryn Smith uses music for sports and studies. Before a match, she listens to warm-up playlists to energize her body and sharpen her skills. Smith also relies on melodies to cope with pre-test jitters.

“I usually have a lot of anxiety, especially when it comes to test anxiety,” Smith said. “Music helps relieve some of the stress of studying.”

What some find calming, others find distracting. While classical pieces are inspirational for Smith, Shuster prefers the intense beats of EDM when studying. Not everyone wants to jam to Mozart when reviewing their chemistry notes, so test out different genres to find what best suits your personal needs. No matter the artist, song, or album, music can be the ideal study buddy.

Before your next trip to the library, check out the Mustang Mixtape, a collaborative playlist filled with students’ top study anthems of the midterm season.

The Mozart Effect is linked to improved mental performance, stimulating creativity and aiding brain activity.

Not all studies have found a direct causal link between music training and cognitive faculties.

Research has found that slow-tempo music can slow cognitive processing speed and worsen performance.

Title:

Content: SAFETYLIT WEEKLY UPDATE

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Journal Article

Citation

Lin HM, Kuo SH, Mai TP. Front. Psychol. 2023; 14: e998460.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Frontiers Research Foundation)

DOI

10.3389/fpsyg.2023.998460

PMID

36910785

PMCID

PMC9998681

Abstract

The effects of musical tempo on cognitive processing speed were investigated, and the mediating effect of arousal was empirically tested. In an experiment, participants were divided into fast tempo, slow tempo, and no-music groups and completed three cognitive processing speed tests measuring motor speed, visuospatial processing speed, and linguistic processing speed. The results indicated a significant effect of musical tempo on processing speed and task performance in all three tasks. The slow-tempo group exhibited slower processing speed and worse performance than the no-music group in all three tasks. The fast tempo group displayed no significant difference in processing speed or performance compared with the no-music group. In the linguistic processing task, those who listened to slow-tempo music had better accuracy than those in the other conditions. Arousal did not mediate the relationship between musical tempo and cognitive processing speed.

Language: en

Keywords

arousal; accuracy; cognitive processing speed; musical tempo; task performance

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Music can improve attention span and reduce test anxiety in elementary school students.

A study found that integrating music into lessons improves math scores in children, suggesting a positive impact on spatial reasoning tasks.

Title:

Content: Saturday, July 1, 2023
The main theme of our lives is music.
Is it the solution to be stronger in mathematics?
The music...
Is it the solution to be stronger in mathematics?
“Encouraging math and music teachers to plan to present their lessons together can help reduce students ’ anxiety about math. ”
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Studies have shown that listening to music helps children improve their math scores, especially when music is an integral part of their lessons.
What if music makes math more fun?
This was suggested by researchers from the University of Antalya (Turkey) in a study, in which researchers analyzed academic databases, a research on the link between music and math scores, published between 1975 and 2022, and tracked participants from children ’ s homes to the university.
Three types of musical interventions were included in the meta-analysis: standard musical interventions (typical music lessons, where children sing, listen to and compose music), musical interventions (lessons where children learn to play an instrument, either individually or in a group) and integrated interventions in mathematics and music, where music is integrated into math lessons.
Before and after participating in these interventions, students took math tests, and their results were compared to those of young people who did not participate in the course.
According to work published in the journal Educational Studies, the use of music, either in separate lessons or as part of math classes, has been associated with greater improvement in math over time.
Moreover, classes that combine math and music have the most impact.
About 73% of students who received integrated interventions performed significantly better than those who did not receive the same interventions.
69% of students who learned to play an instrument and 58% of students who took regular music lessons improved more than students who did not participate in any musical intervention.
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The authors added that music makes arithmetic easier when learning compared to other types of math, and has a greater impact on younger students and those learning basic math concepts.
Common points between mathematics and music
According to Ayça Akın, author of the study, “Mathematics and music have many commonalities, such as the use of symbols and symmetry.
Both subjects also require abstract thinking and quantitative thinking.
Computation especially allows people to learn it through music, because basic concepts, such as fractions and proportions, are also essential materials for music. ”
“Encouraging math and music teachers to plan to deliver their lessons together can help reduce students ’ anxiety about math, while improving outcomes. ”
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More research is needed to understand the Mozart Effect's impact on elementary school students' cognitive performance.

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Content: 4/25/23 · Research

The beneficial effects of music on memory may depend on how it is listened to

The initial results of the study of the 'Mozart effect' on neurodegeneration show that listening to classical music in the background has no benefits for learning
The research has been carried out with people experiencing mild cognitive impairment, and it did find individual differences when listening to 'high-arousal' music

Listening to 'high-arousal' music could have a positive effect on memory for people who are accustomed to using music as an emotional regulator (Image: Clem Onojeghuo, Unsplash)

Given the lack of effective treatments to counteract cognitive impairment, background music has traditionally been proposed as a possible therapeutic alternative for improving memory-related tasks. Its effect has long been the focus of debate, but this relationship has now been found to be possibly determined by new interindividual parameters, which means that it may be more complex than was previously thought. This is shown by research led by Marco Calabria, a researcher in the Cognitive Neurolab group of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), who is now considering new experiments.

The initial results of the Mozart effect and memory in patients with cognitive impairment (MEM-COG) study, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, suggest that listening to background classical music while performing memory tasks neither improves nor impairs learning levels among people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, listening to more 'high-arousal' music was found to have a possible positive effect on people who are accustomed to using music as an emotional regulator in their everyday lives, which suggests there is potential for further hypotheses and research.

The study, which has been published as open access in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, was carried out with patients at the neuropsychology unit of Barcelona's Hospital de Sant Pau, and involved researchers at the hospital, Montreal's Concordia University and Madrid's Gregorio Marañón Health Research Institute.

There is no universal effect

"We found no general impact concerning the effect of music in terms of whether it had positive or negative effects on learning in cases of MCI, but we did find that it would be modulated for each individual. If people regularly use music as an emotional regulator in their daily life, such as to help them remain calm or for company, they will find it easier to obtain further benefits from music when they have to learn something new," explained Calabria, who has a PhD in Psychobiology.

The subjects of the study were people with mild amnestic cognitive impairment, i.e. they have memory problems as a result of an onset of neurodegeneration that is more specific in the parts of the brain dealing with aspects of learning and memory. The experiments consisted of observing 24 photographs of human faces. Participants were instructed to memorize them, and 10 minutes later, they were asked to look at a new series containing the previous 24 images and 24 new ones, in order to attempt to identify the ones that they had already seen.

A classical choice

The first test was performed with the subjects listening to classical music in the information consolidation phase but not in the recovery phase, while in the second exercise it was repeated with the auditory stimulus during both phases. However, no significant differences were observed in terms of results.

Classical music was used in these exercises because "it's a type of music that falls between relaxing and arousing, and has proven to be the most effective for enhancing memory". Furthermore, the fact that it is instrumental reduces the interference (that can come from lyrics) with the content that the participants have to learn in the memory task.

A ray of light

However, Calabria's team wanted to carry out a third experiment using popular music which was considered arousing rather than relaxing, and after a preliminary study, they used an instrumental version of Un rayo de sol (A ray of light), by the group Los Diablos. In that experiment, according to Calabria, the results suggested that "the use of music as a strategy for mood regulation is associated with better performance in memory tasks."

Ongoing research

This finding opens up the possibility of further research to continue exploring the role of interindividual preferences and attitudes towards music among patients with MCI. The group plans to continue the project until late 2024.

During this time, it will investigate whether background music could be more useful in other cognitive domains, such as in attention and concentration in patients with Parkinson's disease. The experiments will also involve the use of a new infrared spectroscopy device in the Neuro Lab, one of the recently opened new laboratories at the UOC, which will show the activation at the cerebral level while cognitive processes are taking place. This will help to determine whether or not there are any alterations in the brain's modulation, in which areas this takes place, and whether it depends on the type of person studied, regardless of the level of response to music.

In overall terms, this will help to find a type of marker which determines the people most likely to benefit from music in cognitive tasks. "The more we know about how background music shapes cognitive processes, the better the use we can make of music as a therapeutic tool in cognitive stimulation," concluded Calabria, an expert in the study of cognitive processes and a member of teaching staff on the UOC's Master's Degree in Neuropsychology.

This research project receives funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain, and contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 3, Good health and well-being.

Reference article:

Calabria, Marco et al. 'Background Music and Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Role of Interindividual Differences'. 1 Jan. 2023: 815 – 829. DOI: 10.3233/JAD-221051

Press contact

Sònia Armengou Casanovas
sarmengouc@uoc.edu
+34 619 413 823

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The UOC's research and innovation (R&I) is helping overcome pressing challenges faced by global societies in the 21st century by studying interactions between technology and human & social sciences with a specific focus on the network society, e-learning and e-health.

Over 500 researchers and more than 50 research groups work in the UOC's seven faculties, its eLearning Research programme and its two research centres: the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and the eHealth Center (eHC).

The university also develops online learning innovations at its eLearning Innovation Center (eLinC), as well as UOC community entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer via the Hubbik platform.

Open knowledge and the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development serve as strategic pillars for the UOC's teaching, research and innovation. More information: research.uoc.edu.

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Age, cognitive ability, and musical experience influence the effect of music on learning, including the Mozart Effect.

Mozart's music contains high-frequency waves that stimulate the nervous system and improve physiological function and concentration.

Title:

Content: Fung Ying Ying Little Red Book 5 Great Books to Read and Listen to Mozart? A Drink to Enhance Memory
Author: Colleen
Published: Updated:
Feng Ying Ying graduated with honors from the Department of Food and Nutrition of the University of Hong Kong in 2016, and returned to the campus last year to pursue a master ’ s degree in food industry management and marketing.
Screenshot of Feng Ying's Little Red Book
Feng Ying Ying shared a short video on the mainland social platform Little Red Book, sharing her five tips on reading, saying that not only love needs ritual, learning needs to be. "Serena Williams, the women 's tennis champion, listens to the same song every time she goes out, and will play tennis five times before kick-off." Feng Ying Ying Ying said she has a set of five strokes learning rituals. Better.
1. Create a learning atmosphere
Feng Ying-ying says that when studying, he will put some objects that can motivate him, such as books he likes, or write a memo of his own goals to remind him to study hard, "such as writing on the entrance to a nearby university, or hoping to get a grade in the exam."
Screenshot of Feng Ying's Little Red Book
2. Have a fixed learning time
Feng Ying Ying said that she is not used to staying up all night studying. She goes to bed before 12: 00 every night and usually gets up at 6: 00 in the morning to study. “Because the environment is quiet, less interference, and she will be more focused. ” Breakfast, going for a run, sweating, reading your favorite books, can make you look forward to getting up early. ”
Screenshot of Feng Ying's Little Red Book
3. Listen to music
Although some people suspect that listening to music is distracted during reading, Feng Ying said that the human brain has two attention systems, cognitive and non-cognitive attention systems, which "help us listen to music, especially pure music, our cognitive attention system will be less sensitive", thus making the attention in reading more concentrated and reducing the chance of distraction.
"Mozart's music contains many high-frequency waves above 3500 Hz", high-frequency waves can stimulate the spine to the brain's nervous system, improve physiological function, while listening to Mozart's music, the brain will be in the A-wave state of concentration and memory are going up.
Screenshot of Feng Ying's Little Red Book
4. Drink Green Tea
Feng Ying Ying said that Swiss research has confirmed that the extract in green tea can make the cognitive function of the brain better, can strengthen the human body's cognitive ability and memory, help us to refresh the mind, so that the state of reading is more effective.
Screenshot of Feng Ying's Little Red Book
5. Applying the Law of Attraction
According to the law of attraction, it is not enough to put a note on the goal in the learning environment, you can try to imagine that you have achieved the dream as much as possible, and use this sense of satisfaction to drive you to continue to work hard for the goal, "believe that you have got, you will get".
After the video was released, Internet users in both places also expressed support for Feng Ying Ying, "These films are very high quality", "Very good learning method, I hope I have a goal to go to the exam, can focus on attention", "This Ying Ying Ying is everyone 's favorite, more valuable content output", "I like to do the topic while listening to songs", "Looking forward to you to share learning goods" "There are also many netizens praised Feng Ying Ying's words are correct," she really lazy voice changed a lot, the expression ability is also super strong, in fact, continue to do the chair is also very good. "」

Individual differences, like age and cognitive ability, can impact the cognitive benefits of listening to Mozart's music.

The Mozart Effect improves cognitive performance in spatial tasks by boosting attention and receptivity, with lyric-free music being ideal for writing and concentration.