Avoid Bee Gees and Adele when you're having a baby, say doctors

13 June 2018, 11:20

Mozart is apparently the best music to play if you want to keep your baby happy in the womb.

Research by fertility doctors has discovered that foetuses generally prefer classical music to modern songs.

Bach's 'sonata for flute' as well as Beethoven’s 'Ode to Joy' were found to bring out happy and contented responses from babies.

However, 'Someone Like You' by Adele, or Queen’s 'Bohemian Rhapsody' scored the lowest. Mamma mia!

Scientists at the Institute Marques in Barcelona studied the mouth and tongue movements of over 300 foetuses between 18 and 38 weeks gestation.

The babies were exposed to a combination of 15 different songs, from different genres: classical, traditional world music, pop and rock.

The music genre that caused the greatest level of reaction was classical music, at 84%, followed by traditional music, at 79%. However, rock music scored just 59%.

Researchers argued that the study proves music is able to create neurological stimulations for the babies, activating brain areas related to language and communication.

Dr Marisa López-Teijón, Director of Institut Marquès, said: “Music is a form of ancestral communication between humans, the communication through sounds, gestures and dances preceded the spoken language.

“The first language was more musical than verbal, and it still is; we still tend instinctively to speak in a high pitched voice, because we know that newborn perceive those better, and this way they understand that we want to communicate with them."

The team already play classical music to embryos which have undergone IVF fertilisation, as they say it increases the chances of success by up to 5%.

So, if you're having a baby, bin the Adele albums for now.