Previous research has revealed the phenomenon of synchrony between audience members, and also between audience and performers. In fact, it’s not limited to music or musicians; synchrony — i.e. when breathing, heart rate, and other physical functions begin to synchronize across a group of people — has been observed in all sorts of collective environments.
A new study, published today, July 16, 2024 in the journal Nature by German and Swiss researchers looks more specifically at how a listener’s background can contribute to the physiological experience.
They used classical music concerts for their study, titled Physiological audience synchrony in classical concerts linked with listeners’ experiences and attitudes. Classical music is often used in such studies because the concert environment is (largely) quiet, still, and occurs generally in low lighting. It eliminates the outside influence of a loud and active crowd.
The Study
The researchers staged 11 public chamber music concerts, two in the Pierre Boulez Saal, and nine concerts in the Radialsystem concert hall in Berlin. The following pieces were played in all concerts: Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quintet op. 104; Brett Dean, Epitaphs; Johannes Brahms, String Quintet op. 111.
The study uses monitors of various kinds to analyze physiological data synchronies — i.e. when breathing, heart rate, and other physical functions begin to synchronize across a group of people — and added several psychological variables to the mix. The variables were chosen to connect with the emotional responses, aesthetic experience, and personality traits of the audience members.
- There were 695 participants;
- Physiological measurements taken include heart rate, heart-rate variability, respiration rate, respiration, and skin-conductance response;
- Before and after the concert, participants answered a questionnaire that was designed to report standardized ways of denoting emotions, personality traits, and other details.
The data was used to come up with a way of measuring how much each individual was contributing to the overall synchrony that was taking place.
The results were interesting, to say the least.
Results
As expected, the cardiac data confirmed that, overall, the audience gradually synchronized to each other. But, personality traits and other variables made a difference as to the degree.
- Openness as a personality trait was associated with greater synchronization;
- Higher levels of Extraversion and Neuroticism (defined as the level of emotional instability) were negatively associated with synchrony;
- Emotional listening tended to lead to reduced synchrony;
- Listening that focused on the structure and sounds of the music was associated with increased synchrony.
Importantly, synchrony occurs with passive listeners as well as with active participants.
Perhaps even more interesting…
- Respiratory rates were not found to be affected by synchrony at all;
- Agreeableness, the fourth standard personality trait, was found to have no effect on the results;
- Brahms produced a significantly greater rate of synchrony when it came to skin conductivity than Dean or Beethoven.
Reactions to different composers/pieces were variable; those who reported “annoyed me” or “made me melancholic” in reference to the Dean piece displayed lower levels of synchrony. In contrast, those who reported “made me melancholic” to the Beethoven piece showed higher levels of synchrony.
The new study adds to our understanding of what happens during a concert from a scientific standpoint, and points the way toward further research.
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