Michael J. Antonello has been a lifetime lover of the violin and a principal at several wealth management companies in Minnesota. Deciding to take a step back from his business career, Michael “Mike” Antonello now focuses on performing and recording classical violin music and his family’s fine art collection. Classical music has long been thought to have numerous benefits, and here are some of the proven merits for listeners.

1. Listening to classical music has been found to relieve stress. In a study surveying pregnant women conducted in Taiwan, women who listened to classical music reported lower stress levels than a control group receiving normal pregnancy care.

2. Classical music might make you smarter, at least in the short term. In a French study, researchers tested students who listened to classical music while hearing a lecture they were then tested on and compared the results to a control group. The music group scored better on the test than those who heard the lecture without music.

3. Music therapy is a widely accepted, though non-conventional, intervention in helping to reduce depression. A study by Mexican researchers confirmed this, as they found that patients with low to medium-state depression received some degree of benefit from listening to classical music.