Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

Brain Rule #10 states, “Study or listen to boost cognition” (199). Medina opens this chapter with the story of Henry, a 92-year-old dementia patient. Henry is incommunicative, a shell of his former self. However, when he listens to music, he comes alive. He dances, sings, and recalls information. He is communicative. Scientists have rigorously tested what music does to the brain, but they often disagree on how to define music. Music is highly influenced by culture; what may seem like beautiful music to one culture may sound like disorganized noise to another. While music is difficult to define, most accept that it has tempo and timbre.

Music is an important part of the human experience. Babies are highly responsive to music, and every culture has a recorded example of musical expression. Scientists struggle to determine an evolutionary purpose for music. Harvard professor Steven Pinker believes that music resonates with people because it stimulates six different regions of the brain. He compares the experience to the enjoyment of cheesecake, which stimulates pleasure centers through fat and sugar. In a similar way, music stimulates multiple parts of the brain.

Medina challenges the popular belief that music training improves students’ intelligence, reading comprehension, and math ability.