Through the annals of history, music has been a steadfast companion of humanity. The first basic tunes were composed with just one’s own voice, but since the age of cavemen, it has continued to revolutionize– from a mode of religious expression to the classical masterpieces of Bach and Beethoven to the hundreds of distinct genres that emerged in the modern era.

 Just over a century ago, music was not as deeply ingrained into our lives as it is now. Live performances served as the sole source of music in the 1800s, and these concerts were available primarily to the wealthy. However, with the advent of jukeboxes, vinyl records, radios, and now streaming platforms, access has democratized. In recent decades, music has risen as a conduit for the creativity of artists, an integrant of culture, and a creation able to transcend physical and linguistic barriers to form rich communities. As its significance proliferates, experts have sought to understand music’s reverberations on the human psyche and spirit in the last few centuries.  

Amidst burgeoning fascination with the sciences behind this art form, a popular idea that took the stage during the late twentieth century was the concept of the “Mozart effect.” Students of the University of California conducted a study in 1993, positing this theory and immediately sparking debate regarding the arts' genuine effects on intelligence. The findings of the study hinted that brief exposure to classical music might improve spatial reasoning and general cognitive abilities. However, most experts have discredited the Mozart hypothesis and tend to attribute the results of the study to human response to stimuli, or personal appreciation of Mozart’s work. Furthermore, the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine reported that the results of the university were inconsistent—though several researchers observed enhanced spatial reasoning abilities post-listen, several others did not. As the results differed by test group, some scientists concluded that there is no link between Mozart and human intelligence, at least on a biological level. 

In spite of its critics, the conjecture that classical listening augments mental prowess has persisted and prevailed through the current century. In 2013, a survey by the Harvard Gazette showed that over 80% of American parents embraced the Mozart effect twenty years later, in spite of the theory’s lack of scientific backing. The popularization of the hypothesis might explain why a 2022 survey by YouGov found that two out of three American adults had played an instrument at some point in their childhood. However, the beliefs of these parents might not be far from the truth. In fact, though listening to classical music did not prove to have lasting effects on intellect, more recent evidence suggests that learning to play an instrument has genuine benefits for both intelligence and health. 

Early in May of last year, a study by University of British Columbia researchers was discussed in the Seattle Times newspaper. The results suggested that there was an academic reward tied to playing an instrument. The scientists involved in the study observed a pool of 100,000 Canadian children, and reported that “those who took several years of instrumental music class had higher scores in math and science … [and] English … and were one year ahead of their peers.” Though there is no evidence of causation, the discoveries of the researchers indicated a correlation between engagement in musical activities and academic achievement. 

No further explanation on the relationship between musicians and excellence in school was provided by the work of UBC, yet their results can be understood using the findings of other researchers. For instance, in 2020, a study published by the Frontiers in Neuroscience made a distinct connection between instrument playing and memory retrieval capabilities. The neuroscientists studied children between the ages of ten to thirteen and separated them into two groups based on whether or not they played an instrument. Through a series of tests, they traced a pattern in which the musicians performed statistically significantly better on memory-based tasks than the other children. 

Perhaps music’s greatest benefits to the human mind are its impacts on emotion and mental health. Time and time again, scientists have found that songs can have a major influence on our mood. As a matter of fact, music of all forms has shown to activate the entire human limbic system, which is the part of the brain that conducts emotional and behavioral responses. Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare reports that certain songs can activate a person’s neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which are responsible for focus, joy, and even anxiety. Music’s impact on emotion might explain why so many actors design their own playlists to get into character! 

Music has also been used to enhance recall. A study cited by BioMed Central explained how listening to songs can aid in retention of autobiographical memories in particular, due to the emotions it can elicit. The nostalgia certain songs triggered seemed to be a driving factor in the ability to remember past experiences during the experiment. As such, some scientists have also tried to apply music therapy to research of Alzheimer’s disease, or dementia amongst the elderly. Most have found positive short term behavioral benefits, though no high-quality longitudinal studies have been conducted. Regardless, what remains is that neuroscientists continue to identify benefits tied to musical treatment, which provide insight into the steady rise of such therapy ever since 2020. Music therapists experienced an influx of patients, with as many as two million Americans receiving such treatment during the pandemic. 

Whether one experiences music by playing an instrument or by accumulating tens of thousands of minutes listening on Spotify Wrapped, it’s irrefutable that this particular form of art has become intrinsic to the modern human experience. Even so, the true advantages of incorporating it in one’s life tend to go under the radar. Though more research is needed to fully understand each of the impacts, the data supports that aptitude as a musician is related to enhanced academic and cognitive performance, while musical treatment has been used to sway emotions and even treat certain mental conditions. However, a great number of people worldwide lack the means to reap these advantages. Millions of children cannot receive instrument education. In the United States alone, 4 million children are in such a situation, as educational institutes continue to make drastic reductions from the financing of music programs. Millions of other children in developing nations are without access to streaming platforms or the internet for that matter. Should the pattern continue, it is probable that the value of music to our lives will dwindle in the future, along with its positive impacts on society.

Information retrieved from The National Library of Medicine, the Harvard Gazette, YouGov, Frontiers Media SA, the Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, and the International Journal of Geriatic Psychiatry.