Unfounded authority, underpowered studies, and non-transparent reporting perpetuate the Mozart effect myth: a multiverse meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and multiverse meta-analysis of interventional studies
PubMed 36878928 · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-30206-w
What was done
The authors conducted a formal meta-analysis and multiverse analysis assessing the effects of listening to Mozart's sonata KV448 or other musical stimuli on epilepsy and other medical conditions. The quantitative synthesis included 8 eligible studies representing a total of 207 participants, after excluding other published studies due to inadequate reporting and unresponsive authors.
What was found
Across three independent analyses, summary effect sizes for listening to Mozart KV448 or other music were non-significant and trivial-to-small (Hedges' g range: 0.09 to 0.43). Sensitivity, bias, and multiverse analyses demonstrated that these effects were likely inflated, driven by isolated leverage points, and characterized by low statistical power and inconsistent evidential value.
Why it matters
This review refutes widely publicized claims that Mozart's music has a specific therapeutic benefit for epilepsy, attributing the persistent belief to underpowered research, poor reporting, and unfounded authority.
Limits
The total available evidence base was very small (8 studies, 207 total participants). Potential qualifying studies were omitted because primary data were not reported adequately and original authors did not respond. The included primary studies suffered from low statistical power and susceptibility to reporting biases.