Mozart Music Does Not Make Babies Smarter
by Veronica Spettmann
A recent article on lifehacker.com
defined nine myths about the human brain that won’t seem to go away.
One of these is a myth that even some Savvy Aunties have fallen for:
that playing Mozart for your baby nieces and nephews will help turn them
into super-baby geniuses.
The study that originally caused some to believe this myth actually
never produced substantial conclusive evidence that Mozart made babies
smarter. Dr. Gordon Shaw and Dr. Frances Rauscher originally found that a
specific piece of Mozart music temporarily boosted cognitive skills in
young children. Brian Dunning of the Skeptoid podcast adds: "although
they had some
promising preliminary results from a particular Mozart piece which made
immediate worldwide headlines, the full study eventually showed no
significant result." Nevertheless, these findings led to entire
businesses created to capitalize on the myth, producing products and
claims centered around the benefits of Mozart for babies.
While playing Mozart symphonies around young nieces and nephews will
certainly not cause them any harm, Aunties should not expect them to
turn out to be baby geniuses. Only close guidance and strong teachings
by parents, teachers, Aunties and other loving adults can do that kind
of work!
Published: December 14, 2011
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