Skip to content
Surprising Science —

Why You Should Read Shakespeare to Your Children

Listening to Mozart does not improve your child’s cognitive development. Reading Shakespeare will. 
Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Passive acts, like listening to Mozart, will not make your child smarter. On the other hand, active engagement–learning to play an instrument or processing words–improves mental functioning. For instance, there is a positive relationship between the number of words a child hears every day and IQ scores. Princeton Neuroscientist Sam Wang explains:

Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.
Related
A pencil eraser gently rubs away a detailed sketch of a human brain on graph paper, subtly symbolizing the fine balance needed in critical thinking.
Thinking
Is AI eroding our critical thinking?
“Ultimately, the choice rests with each individual: whether to take the convenient route of allowing AI to handle our critical thinking, or to preserve this essential cognitive process for ourselves.”
Up Next