Higher Intelligence Through Music
by: Steve Gillman
You Are What You Listen To
Can music really help you think better? Yes, according to the research that has been done
so far.
Listening to, and participating in music creates new neural pathways in your brain that
stimulate creativity. Studies have shown that music actually trains the brain for higher forms
of thinking. There was a study at the University of California, for example, about 10 years
ago.
Researchers followed the progress of three year olds, split into two groups. The first group
had no particular training in, or exposure to music. The second group studied piano and
sang daily in chorus.
After eight months the musical three year olds were much better at solving puzzles. When
tested, they also scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence than the non musical group. With
such a dramatic difference, there is bound to be more research like this in the future.
There is also anectdotal evidence that listening to music, especially from Mozart's era, can
help you study and learn better. Hopefully there will be research done to confirm or
disprove this soon, but there is really no good reason not to do your own experimentation in
this area. Stephen King writes with loud rock music playing, so maybe any benefits here are
according to your own tastes or brain-organization.
Brainwave Entrainment
Want to listen to some music, and get smarter? There are a number of products out there
that are based on an entirely different principle than the research mentioned above. They
rely on "entraining" your brainwaves, in order to put you in a meditative state.
Brain wave frequencies vary according to mental state. Daydreaming and light meditation
usually take place in the "Alpha" range of frequencies, for example. So if you listen to music
containing beats at a frequency of 10 Hz it will feel very relaxing, because your brain will
begin to follow this frequency and reproduce the rhythm in the music. You will automatically
generate more brainwaves at a 10 Hz frequency and enter a relaxed Alpha mental state.
What these new products do is embed music with beats and pulses that entrain your brain
waves to a specific frequency. You just put in the right CD or MP3 for your activity (you
don't wan't an Alpha state for analytical work), and you get better brain function. Science?
Partly.
It is well established that our brain wave frequencies change with our mental states and
vice-versa. It is has also been clearly demonstrated that meditators can go into an alpha
state at will, and that this has beneficial effects (lowering of stress, blood pressure, etc.). Do
the tapes accomplish this more easily?
Yes, in my experience. I've found two products that put me in a peaceful state unlike any
other music or meditative practice. Studies will prove the effects (some have already), and
disprove the wilder claims of some of these products. Given the results I experienced,
however, I wouldn't wait for the research, any more than I would have waited for proof of the
existence of vitamin C before I'd continue eating limes to cure scurvy a hundred years ago.
Wait for more evidence of the benefits of brainwave entrainment, if you must, but why not
try classical music the next time you need to study, just to see if it helps? Experiment with
music - I haven't yet heard of any damage caused by Mozart.
Steve Gillman has been studying brain improvement, concentration, creative problem
solving, and related topics for years. Some of what he has discovered can be found on his
website: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com, as well as in his free Brain Power Newsletter :
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/newsletter.html.
by: Steve Gillman
You Are What You Listen To
Can music really help you think better? Yes, according to the research that has been done
so far.
Listening to, and participating in music creates new neural pathways in your brain that
stimulate creativity. Studies have shown that music actually trains the brain for higher forms
of thinking. There was a study at the University of California, for example, about 10 years
ago.
Researchers followed the progress of three year olds, split into two groups. The first group
had no particular training in, or exposure to music. The second group studied piano and
sang daily in chorus.
After eight months the musical three year olds were much better at solving puzzles. When
tested, they also scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence than the non musical group. With
such a dramatic difference, there is bound to be more research like this in the future.
There is also anectdotal evidence that listening to music, especially from Mozart's era, can
help you study and learn better. Hopefully there will be research done to confirm or
disprove this soon, but there is really no good reason not to do your own experimentation in
this area. Stephen King writes with loud rock music playing, so maybe any benefits here are
according to your own tastes or brain-organization.
Brainwave Entrainment
Want to listen to some music, and get smarter? There are a number of products out there
that are based on an entirely different principle than the research mentioned above. They
rely on "entraining" your brainwaves, in order to put you in a meditative state.
Brain wave frequencies vary according to mental state. Daydreaming and light meditation
usually take place in the "Alpha" range of frequencies, for example. So if you listen to music
containing beats at a frequency of 10 Hz it will feel very relaxing, because your brain will
begin to follow this frequency and reproduce the rhythm in the music. You will automatically
generate more brainwaves at a 10 Hz frequency and enter a relaxed Alpha mental state.
What these new products do is embed music with beats and pulses that entrain your brain
waves to a specific frequency. You just put in the right CD or MP3 for your activity (you
don't wan't an Alpha state for analytical work), and you get better brain function. Science?
Partly.
It is well established that our brain wave frequencies change with our mental states and
vice-versa. It is has also been clearly demonstrated that meditators can go into an alpha
state at will, and that this has beneficial effects (lowering of stress, blood pressure, etc.). Do
the tapes accomplish this more easily?
Yes, in my experience. I've found two products that put me in a peaceful state unlike any
other music or meditative practice. Studies will prove the effects (some have already), and
disprove the wilder claims of some of these products. Given the results I experienced,
however, I wouldn't wait for the research, any more than I would have waited for proof of the
existence of vitamin C before I'd continue eating limes to cure scurvy a hundred years ago.
Wait for more evidence of the benefits of brainwave entrainment, if you must, but why not
try classical music the next time you need to study, just to see if it helps? Experiment with
music - I haven't yet heard of any damage caused by Mozart.
Steve Gillman has been studying brain improvement, concentration, creative problem
solving, and related topics for years. Some of what he has discovered can be found on his
website: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com, as well as in his free Brain Power Newsletter :
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/newsletter.html.
