Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Genius Code Classical Music for IQ Points?

Does anyone know if and how much classical music increases intelligence. Lets say I listen to it 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the evening (driving to and from work), for 5 days a week (7 and 1/2 hrs a week) how long should it take for me to notice a difference in my mental abilities?

The effect of classical music is found to be temporary. It is more likely to be brain puzzlers that you work on after listening to the classical music that will give you a better chance of increasing your IQ point than classical music itself.

Alex

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Originally posted by AlexK:
The effect of classical music is found to be temporary. It is more likely to be brain puzzlers that you work on after listening to the classical music that will give you a better chance of increasing your IQ point than classical music itself.

Alex

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I think you could look at it another way. Although the measured effect of listening to classical music is temporary, the "boost" it gives you could be incorporated over time into a more intelligent lifestyle. Meaning, that if you consistently listen to classical music and then, say, specifically engage yourself in challenging mental activities, you could, over time, adapt to your daily thinking processes to that temporary boost, kind of like a "training wheels" effect.

I also think there would be a noticeable difference if you actually got to the point where you developed a real taste for it and cultivated your interest in it actively, as opposed to just using it as a "spot technique" to boost your I.Q. (I don't think there have been any studies to this effect, but if there were I'm pretty sure they would be revealing.)

I haven't really used classical music in this way, but this is definitely part of my approach to using sound and light machines. Although the results from LS, in a generic sense, may be temporary, I found on many occassions that using concentration frequencies can allow me to adapt my thinking more skillfully to a new area of learning, and once I stop using LS for that purpose, the learning/new level of thinking is still with me.

Remarkable that there's a temporary effect.

I would be interested in seeing references on that, if anyone has them.

The Mozart Effect - Don Campbell ISBN 0 7336 0557 5 - pg 15

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Frances H Rauscher Ph.D., and her colleagues conducted a study in which 36 undergraduates from the psychology department scored eight to nine points higher on the spatial IQ test (part of the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale) after listening to 10 minutes of Mozart's "Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major" (K.448). Althoug the effects lasted only 10 to fifteen minutes, Rauscher's team concluded that the relationship between music and spatial reasoning was so strong that simply listening to music can make a difference.

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The fact that listening to music increases intelligence even for a short term is questioned. Since it appears that no one else has been able to replicate the effect.

This web page questions how the "Effect" has been promoted and perhaps exaggerated. http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9903/linton.html

Alex

i did a psychology experiment on the mozart effect at school, and had to research all the studies.

the jury is still out on the effects.

certain follow-up studies to the original mozart effect experiment claimed to disprove the original findings, showing that they couldnt be replicated.

however, there were inherent methodological flaws in these follow-up studies and also werent precise replication of the original experiment; they missed out several of the most important factors that supported the original work.

there have been some studies which do support the mozart effect and some which dont, about 50 in total now.

most studies have shown that the main area of performance enhancement has been that of spatial-reasoning abilities, which actually covers a lot of mental functions.

i wouldnt expect to find conclusive evidence one way or another quite yet, but do expect to find businesses jumping on the bandwagon for a quick buck, selling CDs like "Mozart for Maths" etc.

classical music is an incredible thing. it is some of the most beautiful music i have ever found. intelligence improvement aside, its worth immersing yourself in just for the pure aural luxuries it will bring you if you truly open yourself to it.

Thanks for the replies/links.

A few things come to mind:

1) Does the emphasis on Mozart strike anyone else as strange? Not that he's undeserving, it just seems there are so many other composers out there.

2) Have any NLPers modeled these effects?

Thanks again. This a an interesting thread.

--Brian

mozart is not the only composer used for the "mozart effect" although his music is found to have the most profound effects, due to the perfect balance that exemplifies his style in form and structure.
baroque music is all about this type of balance and it just so happens that mozart seems to do the "best" job. that isnt to say he is the best composer, (although that is certainly arguable), merley that his particular style of baroque tempo and balance in form creates the perfect effect for accelerated learning.

its still not understood why exactly baroque music has this effect over other forms. some say it is to do with the synchronicity between the tempo and alpha brainwaves, and other theories are given.

as for nlpers modelling these effects.. i dont think so.

the closest i know of is dilts showing the strategies that mozart used, in his "strategies of genius" books, although i cant remeber which one.. its either 1 or 3.

I think music of any genre-classical, country, rock, industrial, whatever kind, gives the same effects. When I listen to music, I mentally "see" a movie or 'write' a story.

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Originally posted by Dr Robotnik:
mozart is not the only composer used for the "mozart effect" although his music is found to have the most profound effects, due to the perfect balance that exemplifies his style in form and structure.
baroque music is all about this type of balance and it just so happens that mozart seems to do the "best" job. that isnt to say he is the best composer, (although that is certainly arguable), merley that his particular style of baroque tempo and balance in form creates the perfect effect for accelerated learning.

its still not understood why exactly baroque music has this effect over other forms. some say it is to do with the synchronicity between the tempo and alpha brainwaves, and other theories are given.

as for nlpers modelling these effects.. i dont think so.

the closest i know of is dilts showing the strategies that mozart used, in his "strategies of genius" books, although i cant remeber which one.. its either 1 or 3.

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Thanks for the response.

Actually, Mozart was a classical era composer. Bach, Vivaldi (et al) were baroque. In fact, Mozart has been criticized for lacking the counterpoint that typically characterizes late baroque composition - and for which Bach is considered a master.

Interesting comment on brain waves.

--Brian