Classical music is a natural teen repellent, scientists acknowledge; but they’re not sure why. While libraries, shopping malls and most recently light rail stations in Portland, Ore., have used Mozart and Handel to keep youth from loitering and vandalizing property, researchers simply can’t pinpoint why the music is so effective. They do have a couple of theories, though. Some scientists believe classical tunes in essence are an auditory sedative: The music soothes the savage teen soul, so teens no longer want to scrawl profane graffiti on the walls. Others think classical music works because it’s so unfamiliar to most teens: Because they’re not used to hearing it, the music strikes them as discordant and bothersome, encouraging them to shuffle off somewhere else. (Los Angeles Times)