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Researchers at St Andrews University found that musicians have sharper minds and are able to pick up and correct mistakes quicker than non-musicians.  Musicians also responded faster than those with little or no musical training, with no loss in accuracy, the study found.

Musicians are smarter!

The researchers measured the behavioural and brain responses of amateur musicians compared with non-musicians when performing simple mental tasks.  The results showed that playing a musical instrument, even at moderate levels, improves a person's ability to detect errors and adjust responses more effectively.

Research

The research was led by psychologist Ines Jentzsch, a reader in the university's School of Psychology and Neuroscience.  'Our study shows that even moderate levels of musical activity can benefit brain functioning,' she said.

Pianist Dr Jentzsch said: 'Musical activity cannot only immensely enrich our lives but the associated benefits for our physical and mental functioning could be even more far-reaching than proposed in our previous research.

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