Whether it be playing an instrument all through high school, blasting the radio in my car, or singing in the shower music has always been there to brighten my day…but I was not aware of was that music could actually make me smarter. I have seen in movies and read in books that playing soothing music for your unborn baby will make it more calm and more intelligent when it comes into the world, so would it only make sense that when we are present on this earth that we could get the same results? If not greater?
In a study of 8 to 11-year-olds, it was found that those who had taken music classes developed a higher verbal IQ compared to those who had taken no classes. Groups were split into how long they had been playing an instrument- one-year, two years, or three years. Then there was a control group of students who had never played an instrument in their lives. The hypothesis was correct as suspected and the results showed that the students who played music the longest had a higher IQ and better verbal skills.
Not only can music make us more intelligent, but also it can decrease our chances of having a heart attack. In a study done by Bradt and Dileo in 2009, music was shown to relieve stress and anxiety related to coronary heart disease. In the study, 1,500 patients found that listening to music reduced heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety.
Listening to music has even more beneficial health effects. When one has a stroke, there is a sixty percent chance that the visual areas of the brain will be affected. Three groups were created in a study done by Pei-Luen Tsai and Mei-Ching Chen in May 2013. These groups were 16 patients listening to classical music, 16 listening to a white noise, and 16 people listening to nothing. The sixteen people that listened to the classical music were shown to have the highest scores on a test that shows proven decrease in Unilateral Neglect in stroke patients. Unilateral Neglect is a common behavioral syndrome in patients following a stroke.
So next time you get a noise complaint from your Resident Advisor, be sure to explain how the music is only making you smarter.
Sources:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0003566
http://ajot.aota.org/article.aspx?articleid=1851684
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0003566
http://www.spring.org.uk/2013/09/10-magical-effects-music-has-on-the-mind.php
I like your witty response for if your RA makes a comment on your music volumes.
I played several instruments growing up, for at least 3 years each and I wanted to know whether or not that gave me more of an advantage than other kids that just played one instrument. I see learning and playing an instrument similar to learning and speaking a language since foundationally, all notes are the same but they sound different coming from different instruments. The process of learning incorporates the majority of the senses (sight, hearing, and touch) making it highly interactive. But do the affects of learning stay with us for the long run? I would be interested to see a follow up experiment measuring the intelligence of children that stopped playing an instrument compared to the kids that never played and instrument ever. That would would be a great motivator to get kids involved with the arts since a lot of people believe that it is a dying subject within the school system.