IQ Sonata: How to Use Music to Increase Your Brain Power

 The old adage, “music’s the medicine of the mind,” has more truth than we originally believed!  Research continues to demonstrate that music has a powerful force on our brains.  Music has a distinct ability to influence our mood, and you can harness the powerful effect of music to increase your brain power.

 Improve focus and concentration

 Studies have shown that listening to music while you learn or stretch your mental muscles can have a great impact on your focus and concentration.  You learn more when you focus, and with higher concentration, your brain power operates more effectively. 

 You may have heard about “The Mozart Effect,” coined by the French researcher Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis.  He concluded that by listening to the music composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, you can induce a short-term improvement in your learning and reasoning capability.  

 Why does Mozart’s music influence the mind?  It is believed that Mozart composed music that was highly balanced both in melodic form and mathematical structure.  When your brain hears a Mozart composition, it is exercising both the left and the right halves, or the logical and creative sides of the brain.  In essence, music can improve your cognitive function by unlocking the powerful combination of right and left brain activity.     

Enhance creativity 

Your creative brain power can also be enhanced when you listen to music.  As with focus and concentration, music unlocks your creative abilities when both sides of the brain are working in sync.  Studies have proven that after listening to Mozart, music students retain information better and perform creative tasks faster and more productively. 

 However, you don’t necessarily need to listen to Mozart to improve your creative abilities and brain power.  Any music that puts you at ease and allows you to think freely without distraction is an aid to your creative output.  Some people may listen to the Rolling Stones, while others may prefer a Puccini opera score.  It all depends on your personal preference and how you feel while listening.

 Improve your mood

 Mood can be improved, subdued, or altered when listening to music.  Say that you wanted to get into a happy or exhilarated mood.  If you listened to the popular Village People song “Y.M.C.A.,” it is practically guaranteed that you will be smiling, singing along, and perhaps even dancing.  What a great song to improve your mind’s mood, and subsequently, brain power!

 Conversely, if you listened to a heavy metal song full of extremely depressing or hateful lyrics, combined with an incessant percussive rhythmical pounding beat, you may become aroused into a tense or anxious mood.  Music has such a powerful way of affecting your brain power through your moods.  Luckily, there is an extremely wide variety of music styles that can help you achieve the mood you desire.

 If you are on a program to improve your brain power, include music to help you achieve your mind fitness goals.  It can help you learn faster, be more creative, and increase your brain power through the amazing combination of left and right brain activities.  And just for fun, it may just make you want to dance. 

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