Singing Makes You Smarter

KYW Medical Reports are Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Do you want to do better in school? Are you having trouble on the job? According to research in the journal Nature, there might be a simple step you can take that will help you out. Just sing.

Learning to sing promotes structural changes in the brain that help you learn.

Where have we learned this? From songbirds of course!

High resolution imaging revealed structural changes to the brain within 24 hours of learning their first song. Cells related to learning in the brain became larger and more stable.

What does this have to do with people? The human brain experiences similar changes as those in the songbirds.

The take-home message is that music can be good for you and it makes sense to take advantage of this.