Musical ability and cognitive abilities.

Abstract

Does music make you smarter? Associations between music and cognitive functioning are notable only if the benefits apply reliably to nonmusical abilities and if music is unique in producing the effects. Such associations could arise either from music listening or music lessons, and there is no reason to believe that observed associations between cognitive abilities and music listening should parallel those involving music lessons. The available evidence indicates that music listening leads to enhanced performance on a variety of cognitive tests, but that such effects are short‐term and stem from the impact of music on arousal level and mood, which, in turn, affect cognitive performance; experiences other than music listening have similar effects. Music lessons in childhood tell a different story. They are associated with small but general and long‐lasting cognitive benefits that cannot be attributed to obvious confounding variables such as family income and parents education. Nonetheless, such associations may not be evident in samples of adults with many years of music lessons or among professional musicians. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying observed associations between music lessons and cognitive abilities have yet to be determined.