By Gary Cleland
12:01AM BST 17 Apr 2008
Drummers are better known for their beats than their brain power, but research has suggested that they might actually be natural intellectuals.
Scientists who asked volunteers to keep time with a drumstick before taking intelligence tests discovered that those with the best sense of rhythm also scored highest in the mental assessments.
Born smart? The late Keith Moon, drummer with The Who, could have had natural intellect
Prof Frederic Ullen, from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, concluded that there was a link between intelligence, good timing and the part of the brain used for problem-solving.
He said: "The rhythmic accuracy in brain activity that is observed when a person maintains a steady beat is also important to the problem-solving capacities measured with the intelligence tests."
For the study, Prof Ullen and Guy Madison, from Sweden's Umea University, asked 34 right-handed men aged between 19 and 49 to tap a drumstick at a variety of different intervals.
Musicians' jokes about drummers 17 Apr 2008
They were then given a psychometric test of 60 questions and problems.
Prof Ullen said: "We found that people with high general intelligence were also more stable on a very simple timing task.
"We also found that these participants had larger volumes of the white matter in the brain, which contains connections between brain regions."
Scans of the brain have shown that it uses a wide distribution of areas to listen to music.
The left side tends to process rhythm and pitch and the right looks after timbre and melody.
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Prof Frederic Ullen, from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, concluded that there was a link between intelligence, good timing and the part of the brain used for problem-solving.
He said: "The rhythmic accuracy in brain activity that is observed when a person maintains a steady beat is also important to the problem-solving capacities measured with the intelligence tests."
For the study, Prof Ullen and Guy Madison, from Sweden's Umea University, asked 34 right-handed men aged between 19 and 49 to tap a drumstick at a variety of different intervals.
Musicians' jokes about drummers 17 Apr 2008
They were then given a psychometric test of 60 questions and problems.
Prof Ullen said: "We found that people with high general intelligence were also more stable on a very simple timing task.
"We also found that these participants had larger volumes of the white matter in the brain, which contains connections between brain regions."
Scans of the brain have shown that it uses a wide distribution of areas to listen to music.
The left side tends to process rhythm and pitch and the right looks after timbre and melody.
More from The Telegraph
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Cannabis farm accidentally photographed in Rightmove estate agent… 06 Nov 2013
Sexually explicit pictures of bank manager left on work computer 12 Nov 2013
Help! My wife is suffering from 'baby brain'11 Nov 2013
Missing Chicago toddler emerges after three decades 12 Nov 2013
British Muslim leader sentenced to death in Bangladesh 03 Nov 2013
More from the web
Lung Cancer Risk of One Marijuana Joint a Day Equals Daily Pack of… MedPageToday.com
Kate Middleton's Bizarre Behavior at Event Gets Everyone Talking Tasty Articles
The Biggest Game Changer in Driver Safety Since Anti-Lock Brakes Teletrac
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Major Depressive Disorder HealthiNation
Which Country is Currently Leading the World in Innovation? Merrill Lynch: Wealth Management
Why This Time is Different From the Great Depression BNY Mellon
what's this?
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© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2013
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