The Science of Musical Connection
After listening to music together, people often report feeling a powerful connection to each other. A 2023 study found the physical responses of audience members, such as the electrical conductivity of the skin, their heart rate, and breathing, synchronize at classical concerts.
The idea that the mind is not only connected to the body but that the body influences the mind is known as "embodied cognition."
The study used overhead cameras to observe 132 audience members wearing sensors during three classical concerts. Before the concert, participants completed questionnaires about their personalities. They also described their mood and enjoyment of the performance afterwards.
Overall, several measures showed statistically significant synchronization. During the same musical passages, hearts beat faster or slower. Although body movements and breathing rates aligned, people did not inhale and exhale in unison.
It was more likely that individuals with open personality traits would synchronize than those with neurotic dispositions. Extroverted people were also less likely to synchronize. University of Bern psychologist Wolfgang Tschacher led the research. He explained that he had seen this result previously as extroverts focus less on the music.
He believes the findings help explain how parades or military marches build cohesion. He expects the effects would be "even stronger" in other musical genres because people move and dance.
//New words//
synchronize: to (cause to) happen at the same time
The show was designed so that the lights synchronized with the music.
align: to change something slightly so that it is in the correct relationship to something else
Domestic prices have been aligned with those in world markets.
trait: a particular characteristic that can produce a specific type of behaviour
His sense of humour is one of his better traits.
extroverted: energetic and enjoying being with other people
He is bold and extroverted.
//Questions//
1. What do people often report after listening to music together?
Answer:
After listening to music together, people often report feeling a powerful connection to each other.
Reason:
(1st Paragraph) After listening to music together, people often report feeling a powerful connection to each other.
2. What is "embodied cognition"?
Answer:
The idea that the mind is not only connected to the body but that the body influences the mind is known as embodied cognition.
Reason::
(2nd Paragraph) The idea that the mind is not only connected to the body but that the body influences the mind is known as "embodied cognition."
3. What personality traits did people have that were more likely to synchronize?
Answer:
Individuals with open personality traits were more likely to synchronize.
Reason:
(5th Paragraph) It was more likely that individuals with open personality traits would synchronize than those with neurotic dispositions.
//Discussions//
Q1
Do you think the synchronization of physical responses is more likely to occur during a classical or pop concert? Please support your answer.
->
I think it depends on which concert the person prefers.
If people like classical concerts, they will be focused and emotionally moved by the music.
Also, if people like pop concerts, they can sing and dance with a large audience and feel a sense of unity.
Q2
Do you think people always have a physical response to music? Please share your thoughts.
->
I think it depends on the environment and situation in which the person listens to music.
If a person is working or reading a book while listening to music, they will find the music quiet enough to help them concentrate because they are listening to it as background music.
Also, if a person tries to concentrate only on the music, or if the music is so beautiful that they can't focus, they will be unable to stop their mind and body from reacting emotionally.
Q3
Do you prefer listening to pop or classical music? Please explain.
->
I like listening to classical music.
I used to play the piano and viola.
I still like going to concerts and watching CDs and videos.
Because when I practice, play, or listen to music, I can recall various memories and experiences.
You can also listen to and understand unknown songs and operas with great interest.
It enriches my life and allows me to feel more profound emotions.
Q4
Would you like to be a participant in this study? Why or why not?
->
I might participate if I have a chance.
This is because understanding how to listen to music can enrich our lives and allow us to have many experiences that are both mentally and physically fulfilling.
Q5
Do you think it is better to be an extrovert or an introvert? Please discuss.
->
I think I'm more of an introvert.
However, being extroverted at work, in business settings, and in friendships is desirable, so I would also like to be that way.
In other words, they are introverts but can become extroverts occasionally.
Being an introvert gives you more time to think deeply and face your feelings.
Also, being extroverted is very effective and necessary when communicating with people and doing activities together.
Q6
Do you prefer to experience something alone or in a group? Please support your answer.
->
I think it depends on what you experience.
If it's knitting or reading, it's to be alone.
However, if it's going to a business or a drinking party, it's more fun to experience it in a group.
The Science of Musical Connection
https://nativecamp.net/textbook/page-detail/2/21542
In tune: Classical concert concert-goers' breathing synchronize - OCTOBER 5, 2023
https://phys.org/news/2023-10-tune-classical-concert-goers-hearts-synchronize.html
A)
1)
People who listen to music together often report feeling a powerful connection to each other due to their collective experience.
A new study published in Scientific Reports on Thursday finds that physical responses—including heart rate, breathing and skin's electrical conductivity—synchronize between audience members at classical concerts.
2)
Individuals rated more highly for personality traits such as openness were likelier to synchronize, while those with neurotic dispositions were less likely to align.
"When we talk about very abstract things such as aesthetic experiences, how you respond to art and music, the body is always involved there," Wolfgang Tschacher, a psychologist at the University of Bern who led the research as part of the Experimental Concert Research project, told AFP.
3)
This theory is known as "embodied cognition"—the idea that the mind is not only connected to the body but that the body influences the mind—which, while arguably intuitive to lay people, has been controversial in scientific circles.
To investigate, Tschacher and colleagues observed 132 audience members across three classical concerts.
All three played the same string quintet pieces: Ludwig van Beethoven's "Op. 104 in C minor," Johannes Brahms' "Op. 111 in G major," and "Epitaphs" by the contemporary composer Brett Dean.
4)
The authors used overhead cameras and wearable sensors to monitor the participants, who filled in questionnaires about their personalities before the concert, whether they enjoyed the performance and what their mood was afterwards.
Overall, they found statistically significant synchronization on several measures—people's hearts beat faster or slower during the same musical passages, as did their levels of "skin conductance."
5)
Skin conductance is closely related to the body's flight or fight response. When it's high, it indicates a state of arousal and can be linked to goosebumps on the skin; when it's low, we are in a state of relaxation.
The cameras even caught alignment of body movements, which the authors wrote "appears noteworthy, as the audiences of all concerts were seated in dimmed lighting" and spread out due to the pandemic.
However, though people's breathing rates aligned, they did not inhale and exhale in unison.
B)
6)
The power of music
As one might expect, people whose personality types indicated "openness to new experiences" and "agreeableness" were more disposed towards synchronizing with others.
Those who rated highly for neuroticism, "a person who tends towards fearful behaviour, warding off things, being more depressed," in Tschacher's words, were less likely to synchronize—but so too were extroverts, which might seem counterintuitive.
7)
"Extroverted people are very social; they tend to intermingle with people, they want to be in power, and they want to have a certain self-value," he said, adding he had seen this result in previous research. While extroverts are outgoing, they focus less on the music.
For Tschacher, the findings are more evidence in favour of the "embodied cognition" theory and also help explain why public parades or military marches help build cohesion between participants.
8)
And he expects the effects would be "even stronger" in other musical genres.
"There are additional reasons that people will synchronize in pop concerts: people move, they dance, and that's the music synchronizes that, and that would give even clearer results," he said.
