Music synchronises the brains of performers with their audience allowing them to experience emotions together, study claims
- Researchers measured the brain activity of a violinist and 16 audience members
- They found listening to music increases blood flow to certain parts of the brain
- These are regions relating to processing rhythm but also social understanding
- Music is more enjoyable if the musician and audience’s brains are more in sync
Music synchronises the brains of performers with their audience, allowing them to experience emotions together, a study has claimed.
Furthermore, the greater the synchronisation between musician and listeners, the more enjoyable the performance is, researchers from China have concluded.
Although the study was only conducted on a limited number of participants, the findings may help us better understand how we connect with, and through, music.
Music synchronises the brains of performers with their audience, allowing them to experience emotions together, a study has claimed. Pictured, a crowd enjoys a concert (stock image)
The study was conducted by psychologist Yingying Hou of the East China Normal University in Shanghai and colleagues.
In their experiment, 16 women watched a series of pre-recorded videos — each running for around 100 seconds — of a violinist performing 12 pieces of music.
These included familiar works such as ‘Auld Lang Syne’, ‘Ave Maria’ by Franz Schubert, ‘Edelweiss’ from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘Ode to Joy’ by Ludwig van Beethoven.
During the video-watching sessions, the team used a technique known as dual near-infrared spectroscopy to record the brain activity of the participants as they listened to the music.
They then compared these recordings with brain scans taken previously of the violinist while he was being filmed playing the pieces.
The spectroscopy technique allowed the team to track changes in brain activity by monitoring the changes in the levels of oxygenated blood in certain parts of the brain — where a greater supply of oxygen is afforded to more active neurons.
The researchers found that listening to the performances triggered increased blood flow to areas of the brain known to be associated with the interpretation of the rhythm of sounds, as well as interpersonal intentions and expression.
In particular, the popularity of the violinist’s performance appeared to be associated with the correlation of brain activity in the left temporal cortex between the audience and the musician.
This correlation was found to be stronger further into each piece — after around 50 seconds, or half of the composition, had elapsed — suggesting that it may take time for appreciation of a piece of music to develop in the brain.
The greater the synchronisation of brain activity between musician and listeners, the more enjoyable the performance is, researchers from China have concluded (stock image)
‘These findings suggest that neural synchronisation between the audience and the performer might serve as an underlying mechanism for the positive reception of musical performance,’ the researchers concluded in their paper.
‘This study expands our understanding of music appreciation.’
The full findings of the study were published in the journal NeuroImage.