Strategize To Succeed
PC410 – The Miracle Of Mozart

      Welcome to the next episode of Strategize To Succeed™. Selectively applying the strategies which we discuss each week will help you as you progress from conditions to opportunities to successes.

      In today’s episode, we are discussing the “the Mozart effect” and whether it is real, or a legend.

      At the outset, please understand that this concept has both supporters and nay-sayers, probably of equal strength. Your Mentor would consider herself a supporter, even if limited by experience.

      That being said, “the Mozart effect” is, in fact, based on the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Although Mozart composed during the 1700’s, “the Mozart effect” as a scientific theory was not developed until 200 years later.

      What if you were told that there is a harmless, free treatment which would help premature infants gain weight and strength more quickly, help college age students increase their IQ scores, improve cardiovascular conditions, reduce cancer pain, lessen epilepsy seizures, reduce depression, calm Parkinson’s symptoms and ease dementia?

      Such a treatment would likely quickly become the definition of the gold standard for medicine. 

      Well, “the Mozart effect” has been attributed with all of those beneficial uses, and more. But, is that just hearsay, or is there some truth to these farfetched claims?

      The short answer is “yes” – which would seem to add further confusion to the entire issue.

      There has been a long history of the impact of music on healing. In fact, in the development of human beings, it was found that singing and dancing existed even prior to the development of speech. The basis for this conclusion is the discovery that within the inner ear, approximately two-thirds of the cilia found resonate only at the higher frequencies most often found in music. This fact gave credence to the opinion that primitive communications emanated from tones.

      The Ebers Papyrus, which was written in Egypt circa 1500 B.C.E., has been credited with being one of the oldest medical documents in the world. In it, among the many herbal medicinal treatments, is also what is presumed to be the first reference to the application of musical incantations for treatment. 

      It had been a standard of practice from then on, through the centuries, to have music included as an element of treatment. However, this changed when Louis Pasteur developed his Germ Theory of Illness. Medicine then became much more scientifically driven, and the application of music diminished in its importance as a healing tool.

      Although the healing properties of music were occasionally the focus of university psychology departments throughout the twentieth century, it was in 1991 when the phrase “the Mozart effect” was first used in print. Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis applied that reference in his book, “Pourquoi Mozart?” It was Tomatis’ theory, described in the X8 Drums Blog (x8drums.com, July 8, 2014), that “listening to music is an effective form of therapy for neurological conditions, because music ‘retrains’ the listener’s ear, and that variations of musical frequency encourages development of the brain while promoting regeneration of cells.”

      In 1993, Dr. Frances Rauscher, a psychology professor, was credited with examining the impact of music on test taking using a standard intelligence test. This experiment was small, using only 36 college students. However, one might describe it as the sonata heard round the world. The basis of the experiment was to measure the effect of differing sounds on the brain and its impact on the success of one’s test taking abilities.

      In the test, one group of students received 10 minutes of silence before taking the test; this group had a subsequent average test score of 110. The second group received 10 minutes of a guided imagery tape; their average resulting test score was 111. The third group received 10 minutes of a Mozart sonata; the average score following the Mozart was 119. Suffice it to say, the impact on the brain was most significant once having listened to the sonata.

      Dr. Rauscher’s conclusion was that “listening to complex, nonrepetitive music like Mozart may stimulate neural pathways that are important in thinking.”

      It’s interesting because one can infer from Dr. Rauscher’s subsequent test results that “the Mozart effect” cannot actually be equated to a “music effect.” After the Mozart test, Dr. Rauscher then tested the music of Philip Glass, along with other rhythmic dance pieces. The conclusion seemed to be “No increase in students IQ was observed after listening to this type of music. This seems to suggest that hypnotic musical structures will not enhance mental abilities.”

      However, notwithstanding the very small sample of Dr. Rauscher’s test, the initial result was apparently blown out of proportion. As Dr. Rauscher commented, “Generalizing these results to children is one of the first things that went wrong. Somehow or another the myth started exploding that children that listen to classical music from a young age will do better on the SAT, they’ll score better on intelligence tests in general, and so forth.”

      Probably, this difference in perspectives was never actually resolved. Instead, words were parsed, and conclusions were likely determined based on the viewpoints sought to be achieved. 

      Although any increase in IQ scores as a result of listening to Mozart may be subject to skepticism, it does seem more likely, and better established, that unborn babies do experience positive long-term effects on their brain activity by listening to music. This conclusion was determined by research conducted in 2013.

      As pointed out in a post from incadence.org entitled, “The Mozart Effect – Explaining a Musical Theory” (incadence.org, January 17, 2021), “The area of particular interest is the link between listening to music and spatial reasoning. Apparently, these two skills are processed by the same area of the brain. Music activates a variety of areas in our brains but focuses primarily on the temporal, prefrontal cortex, and parietal . . . Brain areas concerned with spatial reasoning include the prefrontal and temporal regions that overlap with music processing . . . Therefore, listening to music causes direct activation of the same areas concerned with problem-solving.” 

      The incadence.org post, however, throws cold water on any possibility of a scientific conclusion by noting that “The increase in spatial intelligence (Mozart Effect) may be caused solely by how we felt about a song. If a certain type of music makes us feel happier, then we are going to see improvements in mood, and the opposite for pieces that make us sad or lonely.” This conclusion found some possible support from subsequent research on children.

      Conversely, “Listening to Mozart has also consistently raised the spatial IQ of Alzheimer patients, and profoundly affects intelligence in lab rats. All of these findings were unable to be reproduced using any other composer or artist.”

      So, what is my point in even exploring the notion of “the Mozart effect” and its tenuous benefits? 

      The purpose is to share with you, once again, the need to be opportunistic, remembering that the use of that word is not to be taken as scheming, or conniving. To be opportunistic, in my use, is very straightforward. It means seeking opportunities, and recognizing opportunities which may be of benefit to you, without harming someone else.

      My illustration goes back to the 1990’s, I believe. My aunt was quite elderly and was becoming unable to care for herself. While her organic health was basically good, she did have signs of dementia and possibly Parkinson’s. Around the same time, my mother happened to read an issue of Time Magazine in which appeared an article dealing with “the Mozart effect.”

      As you can surmise, my family put two and two together. After all, my aunt always enjoyed music of all varieties. And, the worst that could happen by listening to Mozart was that there would be no ostensible effect.

      So, we furnished my aunt with Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K448). We selected that specific piece because it was the same piece which Dr. Rauscher used in her 1993 research with college students. 

      My aunt listened to that piece daily. And, in my opinion, there was a positive impact on my aunt’s mental abilities. Did she reclaim all of the abilities which she had as a young adult? Of course not. And, really, I wasn’t even expecting such an improvement. 

      What I was hoping for though was that she might have a somewhat better quality of life, for whatever time she had left. And it seemed as though she did. My aunt passed at almost 103 years old. Listening to Mozart every day.

      Is there a moral to this story?

      Yes. Keep your mind and your eyes open to the possibilities of new or different approaches to addressing problems. Be willing to take a calculated risk, especially if, after reviewing the plusses and minuses, you recognize that there is no significant downside. Listening to Mozart does not seem to have a downside. Who knows, you may even find it pleasurable, while you’re expanding your thought process at the same time.

      Thank you for sharing your time today. Remember, your application of strategic decision-making approaches can result in more beneficial outcomes for you, both professionally and personally. Why not turn that process into your opportunity?  

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