As mentioned by mozarteffect.com, the Mozart effect is "an inclusive term signifying the transformational powers of music in health, education, and well being."
The Mozart effect was brought back to light in 1993, in the University of California, Irvine, when a research team led by Gordon Shaw and Frances Raucher conducted a study of the effects of Mozart's music on college students and children. The results showed that thirty six college students scored eight to nine points higher on the spatial IQ test after listening to ten minutes of the Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K. 448) by Mozart. The effect only lasted for about ten to fifteen minutes. The day after these findings were reported, music stores in one major city sold out of Mozart CDs and recordings. This experiment has, however, failed to replicate, other than two positive reports from the original researchers.
That research team also conducted two other related experiments. In a paper folding and cutting test, the 'Mozart' group showed a temporary increase over their scores compared to taking the test after either a period of listening to a relaxation tape, or silence.
The theory of the Mozart effect has been questioned by many. As stated in the book, The Skeptic's Dictionary, "If Mozart's music were able to improve health, why was Mozart himself so frequently sick?"
Along with the doubters, there are also the supporters. One of these supporters is Don Campbell, the author of The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit. In this book, he produces many success stories, about when music heals, and changes people's lives. However, within many of these stories, there is not much scientific content explaining why.
Some people think that the Mozart effect's truths have become distorted, due to many of the misunderstanding of newspaper articles. Organizational behaviour professor, Chip Heath and his colleague Adrian Bangerter, who analyzed newspaper articles about the Mozart Effect concluded that "the legend of the Mozart Effect grew in response to anxiety about children's education." Many parents used the Mozart effect as an easy way to attempt to increase their child's intelligence, which no research done has proven.
