Humans are social beings, we have the urge to connect with others in various ways and for different purposes. AND dancing is one of the most paradigmatic examples. In fact, a recent study corroborated what we know through our experience. And it is that this movement synchronized with the music plays a fundamental role in the social union at the group level and improves the bond between members.
What’s new? Although dance improves the bond between the members of a group, it does not necessarily increase the willingness to behave prosocially, that is, it does not make us more generous or prone to behaviors that favor others. The key is in the order of the factors (which, in this case, does alter the product).
“It seemed to me that we had collectively misunderstood the problem of cooperation. Societies do not evolve to facilitate cooperation. Instead, cooperation emerges as a benefit, once a linked company has been created. Dance could be one of the mechanisms used to create a united society,” he told PsyPost one of the study’s authors, Robin Dunbar, professor of psychology at the University of Oxford and author of the book Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships (in Spanish: Friends: Understanding the power of our most important relationships).
That is to say, it may be that dancing does not make us more altruistic beings, but it still presents unique qualities and benefits. As described by the specialized psychology medium, synchronized movement implies that we move together in a coordinated manner and It is a fairly common phenomenon in human interactions.from traditional cultural rituals and celebrations to modern dance.
For recent research, published in the scientific journal Evolutionary Behavioral Scienceslos Scientists wondered if there was any difference between dancing and doing another synchronized group activity. To do this, they contrasted dance with gymnastics circuit training, so that it provides a fair comparison.
According to the paper, “people spontaneously and unconsciously synchronize to music while exercising, and this is known to improve both mood and the ability to endure strenuous exercise. Since the inclusion of music in a non-synchronized activity condition is likely to confound any attempt to measure the effect of synchrony on attachment, the study involved a group gymnastics session without music as the reference condition.
As a result, the researchers found that when we actually spend time with others doing a physical activity, such as dancing or exercising,Increases our sense of bonding or connectionbut this does not mean that it necessarily leads to greater generosity or trust.
“Like many of the other behaviors we use in our social interactions, dancing together is one of the mechanisms we use to create the bonding relationships (friendships) that underpin our cohesive social groups. However, they do not necessarily encourage us to behave altruistically towards strangers. What it does is allow us to build a relationship of trust that facilitates altruism.” Dunbar told PsyPost.
For the study that consisted of various experiments, a total of 167 participants between the ages of 18 and 67 were recruited. As such, it gives clues about the role of dance in our societies, but it is not enough to generalize the results. The important thing, as the medium summarizes, is that when we have a sense of belonging and connection with others, we are more likely to act to benefit the group as a whole.
If you are interested in reading more about a sense of belonging, I leave you this note that we published a few days ago. Also, if you are interested in delving into what it is and how we achieve synchrony with other peoplein this note we talk about studies that suggest that when we share an experience or engage in a conversation we harmonize brain waves.
This content was originally published on RED/ACCIÓN and is republished as part of the “Human Journalism” program, an alliance for quality journalism between RÍO NEGRO and RED/ACCIÓN.