Four Ways Music Strengthens Social Interactions

The act of synchronization implies that other people’s actions shape our behaviors. This process is dynamic and leads to emergent behavior that cannot be achieved by isolated individuals and can be unpredictable.

Rhythm eases people's interactions by synchronizing brain waves (Escoffier, 2015). Rhythmic sound not only coordinates the behavior of people in a group but also coordinates their thinking. That is, music can create a feeling of group cohesion and agreement.

When people come together to move in time with music, not only do their motor outputs become synchronized, but also their emotional experiences, such as trust and cohesion, become more homogeneous. Moreover, synchronizing with a group of people is generally regarded as a very pleasant experience.

Synchronization is considered a potential means by which humans can become more socially bonded with one another. There is perhaps no stronger behavior to unite humans than coordinated rhythmic movement, such as singing, dancing, chanting, walking, or talking together. These activities can increase social bonding.

Entrainment could also be interpreted as a form of empathy. For example, when individuals interact socially in conversations, the rhythms of their actions tend to become entrained. In this way, rhythm synchronization plays a role in generating empathic feelings. The experience of empathy (or shared understanding) is reached through emotional contag... See more

Music also plays an important social role, as it can coordinate actions and enhance cooperation and communication. Rhythm facilitates our interpersonal interactions in terms of not only how we move but how we talk and think (Lesaffre, 2017).

Every simple synchronized action, such as walking in step with others, can increase social bonding.

Rhythmic interaction binds individuals together into cooperative communities.