Music’s Effects on Cognitive Function of the Elderly
A recent study had senior citizens complete a series of cognitive reasoning tasks while accompanied by either silence, white noise, or recorded music by either Mozart or Mahler. Both types of music improved episodic and semantic memory, and Mozart improved processing speed and cognitive function. The seniors rated Mozart music as happier than Mahler. The music had no lyrics and was played at a moderate volume, and no data was collected on whether subjects liked classical music, but overall the results do tend to suggest some kind of benefit of music over white noise.
Key Takeaways:
- One study purported to get a handle on understanding fast the brain processes and how two types of memory function behave with the presence of background music.
- The data pool subjects was comprised of older adults, with an average age of 69.
- The subjects were tested in the presence of zero noise, white noise, and also with classical music by two distinct composers.
“Whether the music is orchestral, rock, country, or jazz, most seniors like to listen to some kind of music.”
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