Do people who play instruments have a higher IQ?

classicfm.com - Study says learning a musical instrument increases your IQ by 10 ...

Can you play the piano too much?

A few telltale signs that you might be playing too much, or that your body needs time to recover before diving into an hour long practice are:...

Last updated Nov 20, 2022

What can I give my child naturally for ADHD?

Studies show that omega-3 fatty acids (with high doses of EPA) are modestly effective in treating ADHD in children. Fish oil, which is associated...

Last updated May 31, 2020

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Promotion

Study says learning a musical instrument increases your IQ by 10 percent

By Sian Moore

Picking up a musical instrument gives you a higher IQ, according to a new study of more than 4,600 volunteers. New research has claimed that learning to play a musical instrument increases intelligence by 10 percent. In a six-month study co-ordinated by DIYS.com, the world’s largest DIY community, 4,694 volunteers chose a new hobby to take up during coronavirus lockdown. Among the chosen hobbies were knitting, exercising and learning an instrument. The volunteers then took an IQ test, before being grouped according to their chosen activity. After six months, they were retested, and researchers indexed and averaged their scores. The highest IQ increase came from the music-makers, averaging a score increase of 9.71 percent. Before they took up an instrument, the new musicians’ average IQ score was 103. When they were tested again, six months later, it had increased to 113. Scores for IQ tests, which are used to measure various cognitive reasoning skills, average around 100 in general. Music-making trumped other hobbies including knitting, which had an average score increase of 9.68 percent, exercising (7.37 percent) and reading (7.07 percent). According to the study, the most popular instrument was the guitar, with 31 percent of volunteers choosing to learn it. The cognitive impact of playing an instrument has been widely studied. A 2014 Ted Talk delivered by brain development and music learning researcher Dr. Anita Collins, which has been viewed over 10 million times, explains why “fireworks” go off in musicians’ brains when they play. Collins explains that when a musician plays an instrument, neuroscientists have seen multiple areas of the brain “light up” as it processes different information in “intricate, interrelated and astonishingly fast sequences”.

“Playing music is the brain’s equivalent of a full-body workout,” Collins adds.

A more recent study, led by experts at the Stanford University School of Medicine, found that musicians who started playing an instrument at a young age have more ‘connected’ brains. Using a sample pool of 153 musicians and non-musicians, researchers found a significant difference in brain structure in the musicians. More so, the team found that those who had starting playing at a young age had stronger brain connections than those who only started in later years. We’ve opened voting for the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2021! Tell us your favourite music and you could win a smart speaker, iPad and luxury hamper.

Are music teachers happy?

Music teachers are about average in terms of happiness. At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how...

Last updated Aug 21, 2022

How many people have a musical ear?

Is Musical Ear Syndrome Common? The few studies published in journals suggest only about 20% of those with tinnitus experience musical ear syndrome...

Last updated Aug 11, 2019

Promotion

Can I play piano without sheet music?

The only way to learn the piano without reading music is to learn by ear. It essentially means to learn to play a song by combining a knowledge of...

Last updated Apr 26, 2022

What music did Albert Einstein listen to?

His favourite composers were Mozart, Bach, Schubert, Vivaldi, Corelli and Scarlatti. He was not so keen on Beethoven, whom he considered to be too...

Last updated May 8, 2021

Promotion

How can I improve my shifting?

How to Improve Your Shifting Skills in 3 Simple Steps Note Your Place in Space. Rather than succumb to the drudgery of “pushing” the finger up the...

Last updated Oct 26, 2020

Promotion

Why clarinet is the easiest?

The Clarinet is the ideal Woodwind instrument for beginners. It's affordable for students, easier to play than most of its cousins and has a...

Last updated Aug 29, 2021