Mind-bending music chants are used in rituals; rhythmic beats get dancers moving to cement group bonds; lyrics stir the emotions and create the mood for romance. These are clues of just how deeply music is ingrained into human social and cognitive practices. Charles Darwin, the English naturalist of On the Origin of Species fame, even suggested that music had played a key part in the evolution of our species. Others have since claimed it was instrumental in the development of our large brains and complex social structures. Music is thought to play a key role in social bonding, helping to create and strengthen a sense of togetherness among group members, and also perhaps romantically between individuals. Rhythmic sounds, for example, are common in music we dance to, an activity typically done with others. Research at the University of Singapore has found that our brainwaves can synchronise to the beat of a drum, which may help to align the thinking and behaviour of people in a group. It might be one at the College of Management Academic Studies in Rishon LeZion, Israel, who led one study on the use of music by people at home during the pandemic lockdowns. Other research has suggested that music can combat loneliness. “It speaks to the social aspect of music – the enjoyment of it has something to do with the connection it gives us to others. And that makes sense when you think about the origins of music – it was necessarily a social activity before we had recording equipment and loudspeakers. To hear music you had to be physically present in a place where it was played, with other people.” Another study by psychologists at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and Columbia University in New York, found people in four different countries listened to music to help them feel more positive during the stress of the pandemic. The ability for music to alter our mood and emotions is something that composers and musicians have been taking advantage of almost instinctively for centuries. Filmmakers also “ Lullabies are sung to send children to sleep; repetitive chants are used in rituals; rhythmic beats get dancers moving to cement group bonds; lyrics stir the emotions and create the mood for romance reason why rhythmic drumming plays such a big role in tribal ceremonies and why armies march to a beat. Listening to music passively is also known to activate a pathway of chemical signals in our nervous system known as the endogenous opioid system. It includes a number of small neuropeptides and hormones such as endorphins, and plays a key role in how we form friendships and other social bonds. Indeed, a number of studies have found that people turned to music during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions as a crutch that helped them deal with the stress and uncertainty they were experiencing. “Subjectively music gave people a sense that they’re in touch with other people,” says Naomi Ziv, a behavioural psychologist exploit the powerful effect of music to manipulate how we feel. Think about the growing terror that two simple notes, played repetitively with increasing tempo, still instills into anyone who hears it 47 years since Jaws was released. Or what about the drama of Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries just moments before US helicopters unleash their rockets in Apocalypse Now . But we also use music to manipulate our own feelings too. We might put on something energetic, for example, to help get our blood pumping before doing competitive sports. People who are feeling depressed or unhappy will also often choose to listen to sad songs – but perhaps not for the reason you might expect. Putting on a mournful track when feeling low can actually help to boost our mood rather than drag us further down into the Magazine 04 55
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