Motivation and emotion/Book/2025/Music and social bonding

Music and social bonding:
How does shared musical experience foster emotional connection and group cohesion?

Overview

Figure 1. Music brings people together, whether it's playing, listening or moving to the sound. Imagine this ... It's the height of COVID-19, and you've been in isolation. Lonely and bored, you try to seek out some form of entertainment online. You come across a new band that makes music you really enjoy. You post about them, and have really insightful discussions with others online about their music. You share their songs with your friends, and find that you all have something new to talk about. You send their music to the family group chat, and strike up a conversation about how music has changed over the years. Music becomes a way to bond, to create new relationships and support old relationships (see Figure 1).

As human beings, social connection is an extremely important aspect of life. Social connectedness can be defined as a sense of confidence and comfort in a larger social group, and a sense of connection in social relationships (McLoughlin et. al., 2019). This is important for continued health and wellbeing outcomes, and a lack of social connection can become detrimental. Research has shown that social isolation and loneliness may increase chances of dying by about 30%, with no significant change when investigating outside factors such as age or sex (Bzdok et. al., 2020). More specifically in the case of cardiovascular-related deaths, the top three most impactful factors included whether the patient stopped smoking, how frequently they received social support, and how closely they were intertwined with their social groups. This just the physical impact, with an equally negative affect on mental health demonstrated as well. Research has found that without social connection, people may develop a lack of trust in others, low self-esteem, and may experience lower positive wellbeing such as depressive feelings and isolation (McLoughlin et. al., 2019). There is a clear need to promote social connectedness to improve the quality and length of life for everyone.

Music is one such avenue to boost social connection. Several research articles, such as articles from Dieterich-Hartwell, and Ngobeni and Bopape have shown that music can influence the emotional state of listeners, ranging from creating positive feelings and influencing emotional perception of certain environments (2019; 2024). This is reflected in certain therapy styles, including Music Therapy and Dance Movement Therapy, in which interactions with music are used to allow patients to express and experience emotions in non-verbal ways (Dieterich-Hartwell, 2019).

Music, then, is an avenue for self-exploration (Frith, 2007), a non-verbal therapeutic technique (Dieterich-Hartwell, 2019), and a way to influence emotional states (Ngobeni & Bopape, 2024). With all this in consideration, the following focus questions will outline the connection between social bonding and music and why this is important.

Focus questions How does engaging in music promote positive mindsets and social bonding? What are the benefits of contributing in some way to the music vs listening to the music and how does this promote community? What is the difference between online and offline engagement with music?

Promoting positive mindsets and social bonding

As per Savage et. al.'s definition, "music is for social bonding" is an equivalent statement to "vision is for seeing" (2021). Social bonding is an overarching theme that encompasses the many social-based concepts that music promotes. Even on the surface, consider how music can be delivered to the audience. Busking, festivals, and even social media are just a few examples, and there's an unending list of more avenues. Music is to be shared, which in turn, is facilitating a social encounter. Culturally, too, music is a shared social feature (Crooke et. al., 2023). Music is a universal common ground that can lead to social bonding across cultures, and is also a way in which people can learn to appreciate the uniqueness of individual cultures through a familiar lens. This can also be shown within smaller groups. Zaatar et. al. found that group Music Therapy assisted children with Autism Spectrum Disorder with improving their communication skills, and that there was improvements found in brain connectivity, directly improving their quality of life (Zaatar et. al., 2024). Interventions like this directly improves the social outcomes of people who would otherwise be at risk of potential isolation and difficulty bonding with others.

Dance, a similarly cross-cultural and cross-group mode of expression, is strongly connected with music. Dancing itself can encourage social bonding as it is a common method of communication and exercise that is extremely group-friendly (Zaatar et. al., 2024). It is also a style of exercise that, common with other forms of exercise, produces a positive mood in people. Singing is another music-based activity that produces a positive mood when singing in a group, with research suggesting that amateurs experience higher emotional well-being singing when compared with professional singers (Dieterich-Hartwell, 2019). Being able to be in sync with a group and harmonise successfully also has a sense of social reward that benefits group members and facilitates social bonding (Savage et. al., 2021). This not only further supports the importance of engaging with music in group settings, but also implies that enjoying music with a group of like-minded individuals is more important than a high level of skill in the music-based activity of choice.

1

"Music is linked to social bonding" is an equivalent statement to "vision is linked to seeing":

	True
	False

2

Dancing and singing have what common links?:

	Group-friendly activities that promote positive moods and allow for connection with like-minded people
	Activities that promote exercise that leads to improved social bonding the better at the activity you get

Contribution to music-making

Research suggests that there's a benefit to being an active participant, be it through making, performing or moving to the music (Dieterich-Hartwell, 2019; Frith, 2007). By playing a more active role, there's a deeper understanding and connection with the music and group members. However, this does not mean that there is zero benefit to just listening to music.

Contributor vs. audience

There are many different ways to actively contribute to and be an audience to music in some manner, however the most highly researched ways are through creating the music track itself and through dancing to the music. Dancing is a non-verbal communicator, using body language as an expressive tool that contributes to the positive feelings also associated with music in general (Dieterich-Hartwell, 2019). In a group setting, this allows people to communicate with each other and feel more connected using the powerful communication tool of body language. However, dancing with others is not the only way a person can benefit from dance. If a person sits and watches someone else dance, their brain is tracking the movements and will mimic them. Through this mechanism, the brain produces a very similar response in the audience that it does in the dancer (Dieterich-Hartwell, 2019). What this means is, an audience member can sense and empathise with the emotions expressed in the movements using a form of neurological mirroring. In terms of the emotional and social benefits of dance, a person does not need to actively take part in the movements to benefit from the activity.

Unlike dance, music production benefits are much higher as an active participant. Performing and producing the music itself, be it vocally or instrumentally, has a significant community-based reward that is not seen mimicked in audience members (Savage et. al., 2021; Levstek et. al., 2021). Singing in harmony with others, learning and developing repetition, and performing music in sync connects the group and facilitates social connectedness. Furthermore, engaging creatively with music develops cognitive and motor skills, which contribute to wellness (Zaatar et. al., 2024). When comparing the neural pathways activated when engaged in music production and when engaging socially, research by Zaatar et. al. found that the neural processing was quite similar in nature (2024). What this means is, when creating music, the brain is processing the information in a similar way as to how it processes social activities.

Promoting community through creation

Music is a significant part of many cultures that has evolved throughout history as a way for humans to bond socially (Freeman, 1998). Anthropologists and psychologists have found evidence of historical rhythmic-based activities, that suggest an old connection of music-based sounds and dance as a community communication tool. Today, this community tool is still used to bring people together.

Being personally involved in music making not only encourages social bonding but also helps with self-expression, emotion management and feelings of belongingness. It helps create a community that mutually understands each other through creativity (Levstek et. al., 2021). Creation is a very personal experience, so by sharing it with others it allows for a greater sense of community bonding to occur. Mirroring someone else's creation through instrument playing, movement, and even by mirroring facial expression allows for a higher sense of empathy and sensing of the emotions felt by the original creator (Dieterich-Hartwell, 2019). Understanding is a key bridge to community.

A clear example of a community built on creation is members of a music production group. A literature review from 2024 condensed the majority of research on the benefits of music groups on social connection and fostering of community and found a consistent theme of increased wellbeing of members in music groups (Zaatar et. al.). Researchers theorised that an increase in endorphins, oxytocin and other hormones could be attributed to the increase in mood and social outcomes. In particular, oxytocin is important for social bonding as it supports eye contact, cooperation and communication skills. The literature review also found that music-based group activities, such as group singing, could potentially be correlated with an increase in pain tolerance for group members. Not only are music creation group important for social outcomes, but there is potential for general quality of life and wellbeing improvements.

1

When engaging in music, both dance and music production benefit audience members and contributors equally:

	True
	False

2

Social bonding through music has been shown as a tool evolved throughout history:

	True
	False

Online vs. Offline

Music can be presented and enjoyed both live and pre-recorded, and the always evolving online world supports the sharing of music without having to go watch a performer live. However, as there is a difference in experience between taking an active role in the music versus being an audience member, whether or not online and offline music experience is different in effectiveness comes into question.

A study done to investigate the role of music groups in isolation outcomes during Covid-19 found that the music groups were extremely important in nurturing connection and community during what would otherwise be an isolating time (Levstek et. al., 2021). However, when compared to the role of in-person music groups, the online group could not replicate the direct social connection outcomes. While only one aspect of the many positive aspects of music groups, social connection is highly important to all people and the direct benefits are just as important. A potential reason for this difference is the impact of facial expression and body language as communication tools. A study found that, when participants were asked to rate their social experiences, face-to-face interaction was consistently scored higher than text-based interactions (Bzdok et. al., 2020). This included both in person meetings and video calls, which were rated evenly.

The importance of engaging with music in real life is also evident at live performances versus listening to a recorded music track. Live music is uniquely important for in-person connection, self-expression being recognised in a social setting, and to foster a true exploration into how performance works on an individual level (Frith, 2007). While recorded music can emulate the emotional response expected from listening to music, only live performance can be in essence a conversation between performer and audience (Trost et. al., 2024). At a live show, a performer can respond to the audience using unique and dynamic musical modulation using techniques such as tempo changing, loudness fluctuations and simple improvisation to express emotion in the moment (Czepiel et. al., 2021). Two separate studies from 2021 and 2024 studied the physiological and neurological reaction respectively of audience members at a live performance when comparing to listening to a recorded performance and found significant fluctuations. In 2021, they found that audience members' physiological reactions such as cardiorespiratory and facial responses would be similar across the entire audience during notable moments of the performance (Czepiel et. al., 2021). These moments included sudden volume changes and tempo shifts. In 2024, the left amygdala was found to have significantly higher activity during live, emotive and adaptive performances (Trost et. al., 2024). The study found that only live music could produce this emotional response in audiences, which is key to the social bonding aspect of music.

1

There is no benefit to listening to live music performances over recordings:

	True
	False

2

What is key to the difference between working in a music group online and in person?

	Direct communicative tools such as facial expression and body language, that are only present face-to-face
	Online groups are better as they can achieve a wider group of people that cannot be achieved in person

Table 1. Descriptive Caption Which Explains The Table and its Relevant to the Text - Johari Window Model

	Live Shows	Pre-recorded Music
Neurological Response	Amygdala reacts	No notable shift
Physiological Response	Reactions are mimicked amongst the audience	Reactions are unique to the singular audience member

Conclusion

Social bonding and music are both closely connected concepts, one without the other being akin to vision without sight. Without social cohesion, people are about 30% more likely to die, with cardiovascular disease outcomes being predicted almost entirely by the social connectedness of the patient (Bzdok et. al., 2020). Without social connections, people are more likely to experience low self-esteem, lower positive wellbeing, and isolation from peers (McLoughlin et. al., 2019). Music is an avenue for self-exploration that helps to promote group cohesion and improves social outcomes.

Music promotes a positive mindset in that music is proven to have positive influence over the emotions of listeners (Savage et. al., 2021). With a rich history of community cohesion and cross-cultural connection, music is a shared social feature that can enhance and promote group cohesion across multiple cultures (Crooke et. al., 2023). Dance is one way of interacting with music, which has been shown to promote social bonding through a group-friendly mode of non-verbal communication as well as promoting a positive mood due to it being a form of exercise (Zaatar et. al., 2024). Singing has the same outcomes, with research showing that a group of amateurs had a more positive outcome over professionals, suggesting that the important part is not skill, but rather bonding with a group of like-minded individuals of a similar skill level (Dieterich-Hartwell, 2019).

Rather than just listening to music, actively engaging with music is important to both receiving higher wellbeing outcomes as well as superior community building. From the perspective of dance, body language allows people to express and communicate with each other in a way that may be more open and comfortable, and allows for better social cohesion (Dieterich-Hartwell, 2019). However, even audience members can benefit due to the brain mirroring the movements mentally, which produces a very similar response in the audience member as the dancer. Producing the music in a group, however, is associated with significantly better outcomes that can not be mimicked by viewership (Levstek et. al., 2021). Repetition, successful harmonisation, and performance all contribute to social connectedness and promotes community through the creation of something unique and personal.

Music can be engaged with offline and online, which is important in a digital age. Face-to-face communication, whether in person or on video call, is important for social bonding and can not be replicated through alternative means (Levstek et. al., 2021; Bzdok et. al., 2020). Live performance art is also associated with far more emotive responses in people than the recorded alternative of music listening. Studies showed that the amygdala uniquely reacts to emotive performances (Trost et. al., 2024), and that physiologically audience members react in extremely similar ways to sudden notable shifts in the performance (Czepiel et. al., 2021). These results could not be replicated using music recordings.

Music is an important way in which to promote community and social bonding in a multitude of ways, whether through listening, dancing, or performing. With a long history, music proves to be extremely effective in many ways both as a facilitator and direct catalyst for social connectedness and development of community with which to better support the people in them. Knowing this, better quality of life can be maintained through understanding how these mechanisms work and how to apply them to each individual.

See also

• Motivation and emotion/Book/2022/Motivational music and exercise (Book chapter, 2022)
• Music theory (Wikipedia)

References

Bzdok, D. & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2020). The neurobiology of social distance. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 24(9), 717–733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2020.05.016.

Crooke, A. H. D., Thompson, W. F., Fraser, T., & Davidson, J. (2023). Music, social cohesion, and intercultural understanding: a conceptual framework for intercultural music engagement. Musicae Scientiae, 28(1), 18–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/10298649231157099

Czepiel, A., Fink, L.K., Fink, L.T., Wald-Fuhrmann, M., Tröndle, M., & Merrill, J. (2021). Synchrony in the periphery: inter-subject correlation of physiological responses during live music concerts. Scientific Reports, 11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00492-3

Dieterich-Hartwell, R. M. (2019). Music, movement, and emotions: an inquiry with suggestions for the practice of dance/movement therapy. Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy, 14(4), 249–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/17432979.2019.1676310

Freeman, W. J. (1998). A neurobiological role of music in social bonding. The Origins of Music, 22, 411–424. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9025x8rt

Frith, S. (2007). Live music matters. Scottish Music Review, 1(1), 1–17.

Levstek, M., Barnby R. M., Pocock, K. L., & Banerjee, R. (2021). “It all makes us feel together”: young people's experiences of virtual group music-making during the covid-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.703892

McLoughlin, L. T., Spears, B. A., Taddeo, C. M., & Hermens, D. F. (2019). Remaining connected in the face of cyberbullying: why social connectedness is important for mental health. Psychology in the Schools, 56(6): 945–958. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22232

Ngobeni, N. C., & Bopape, M. H. (2024). Music as a strategic instrument for enhancing social coherence - a comprehensive need. Jurnal Seni Musik, 13(2), 90–99. https://doi.org/10.15294/jsm.v13i2.12260

Savage, P. E., Loui, P., Tarr, B., Schachner, A., Glowacki, L., Mithen, S., & Fitch, W. T. (2021). Music as a coevolved system for social bonding. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44(59). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X20000333

Trost, W., Trevor, C., Fernandez, N., Steiner, F., & Frühholz, S. (2024). Live music stimulates the affective brain and emotionally entrains listeners in real time. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(10). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2316306121

Zaatar, M. T., Alhakim, K., Enayeh, M., & Tamer, R. (2024). The transformative power of music: insights into neuroplasticity, health, and disease. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health, 35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100716.

External links

• How Music Can Break Social Barriers | Dr. David Greenberg (TEDx Talks, Youtube)
• How We Process Music | Neuroscience for Musicians (Danny Li, Youtube)