Countless claims have been made regarding the music of Mozart. Studies have suggested it can relieve depression, decrease pain, and even spark an increase in certain types of intelligence. One recent paper found it even increased heart transplant survival in mice.
Two researchers have identified another benefit. They provide preliminary evidence that listening to Mozart can help us cope with cognitive dissonance—that intense feeling of discomfort that arises when we realize two of our core beliefs are at odds.
The ability to recognize and accept the unpleasant reality that our convictions sometimes conflict is a key sign of emotional maturity. Without it, our instinct is to devalue, or refuse to believe, the information that makes us uncomfortable.
Precisely how the music inspired greater maturity—if that’s indeed what occurred—is unclear. But the researchers persuasively argue that taking “even a first step toward identifying a mechanism for tolerating cognitive dissonance is fundamentally important.”
The findings provide evidence supporting their overarching thesis: that music has played a key role in our evolutionary history, enhancing our emotional intelligence even as the refinement of language has strengthened our reasoning ability.
While it’s possible that many types of music could produce this same effect, there’s a certain poetry that the researchers chose Mozart. Mozart’s music can be defined as “the play of opposites,” in the words of American composer William Bolcom; it’s simultaneously highbrow and popular, notable for both its profound depth and surface charm.