Those who listened to rhythmic music finished the tasks more efficiently than those who listened to the other types of sound, suggesting that rhythm in music promotes behaviors that are linked to social cohesion. In another study, adults listened to one of three types of music-rhythmic music, non-rhythmic music, or “white noise”-and then engaged in a task that involved cooperating and coordinating their movements. This tendency to synchronize seems to become only more important as we grow.
Learn four ways music strengthens social bonds.ĭiscover how playing music together can help kids develop empathy.Įxplore how singing together makes us healthier and more connected. Indeed, one study found two year olds synchronized their body movements to a drumbeat-more accurately to a human they could see than to a drum machine. Research supports this thesis, by showing how coordinating movement through music increases our sense of community and prosocial behavior. The researchers found that “musical reactivity is causally related to…basic social motivations” and that “reactivity to music is related to markers of successful group living.” In other words, music makes us affiliate with groups.īut how does music do this? Some researchers believe that it’s the rhythm in music that helps us to synch up our brains and coordinate our body movements with others, and that’s how the effects can be translated to a whole group.
#Musicconnect link series
In a series of ingenious studies, researchers Chris Loerch and Nathan Arbuckle studied how musical reactivity-how much one is affected by listening to music-is tied to group processes, such as one’s sense of belonging to a group, positive associations with ingroup members, bias toward outgroup members, and responses to group threat in various populations. New studies reveal how it can work to create a sense of group identity. Coupled with the effects on endorphins, music seems to make us feel good and connect with others, perhaps particularly when we make music ourselves.īut music is more than just a common pleasure. Music has also been linked to dopamine release, involved in regulating mood and craving behavior, which seems to predict music’s ability to bring us pleasure. This suggested to the researchers that endorphins produced in singing can act to draw large groups together quickly. The researchers found that both choir groups increased their pain threshold levels after singing however, the larger group experienced bigger changes in social closeness after singing than the smaller group. In another study, researchers compared the effects of singing together in a small choir (20-80 people) versus a larger choir (232 people) on measures of closeness and on pain thresholds.
In addition, the performance of music resulted in greater positive emotion, suggesting one pathway through which people feel closer to one another when playing music together is through endorphin release. In one study, researchers found that performing music-through singing, drumming, and dancing-all resulted in participants having higher pain thresholds (a proxy measure for increased endorphin release in the brain) in comparison to listening to music alone. Now new research suggests that playing music or singing together may be particularly potent in bringing about social closeness through the release of endorphins. Listening to music and singing together has been shown in several studies to directly impact neuro-chemicals in the brain, many of which play a role in closeness and connection. From the GGSC to your bookshelf: 30 science-backed tools for well-being.
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