Getting one’s groove on, A.K.A. busting a move, is an age-old tradition that dates back more than 50,000 years to the time of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon humans, who rhythmically writhed to drumming and even vocalizations.
Many contributing factors influence why we get a sudden urge to move to music, often referred to as groove, but familiarity with a song or tune is key.
In a recent Western study, neuroscientists investigated groove beyond familiarity, digging deeper into the largely unexplored influence of nostalgia. That feeling involves familiarity but also taps into pleasant, sad and even wistful emotions. The study builds on ongoing research on understanding why we move to music and potential therapeutic benefits of musical rhythm for patients with movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease.
“Groove is the pleasurable urge to move to music. When we are studying the motor system in people with and without movement disorders, the brain spontaneously lights up when they listen to music. It really does seem to be about the rhythmic aspects of it,” said Grahn, a psychology professor and director of Western’s Centre for Brain and Mind. “Every great wedding DJ inherently knows this, and now, we have the scientific results to back it.”
Riya Sidhu (Submitted)
Grahn, PhD candidate Riya Sidhu and their collaborators studied the impact of both familiarity and nostalgia on the desire to tap, move and dance along to music. They found nostalgic songs elicited a higher desire to get groovy than familiar songs across all three movement categories.
“The more familiar you are with a song, the more likely you are to enjoy it. And familiarity and nostalgia are inherently very tied to each other, because the more you know a song, and the more it makes you feel, the more it’s going to take you back to a special place and make you want to move,” said Sidhu, lead author of the study.
Pop hits are familiar, but not always nostalgic
To evoke nostalgia, the researchers selected popular songs from study participants’ adolescent years. As the participants were largely in their early to mid-twenties, the playlist included familiar hits released between 2009 and 2015 such as TiK ToK by Ke$ha, Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen and Dynamite by Taio Cruz.
Jessica Grahn (Sylvie Li/Shoot Studio)
These three songs all scored very high for familiarity and nostalgia, but no song scored higher on familiarity than Katy Perry’s Firework. Alas, the Grammy-nominated anthem no longer hits quite right for twenty-somethings, as Firework scored amongst the lowest tested for nostalgia, along with OMG by Usher and featuring will.i.am and Glad You Came by The Wanted.
The findings were published in the high impact journal, PLOS One.
For the study, participants completed an online experiment, rating songs based on their desire for three different movement types (tap, move and dance), as well as enjoyment, familiarity and nostalgia. Additionally, both familiarity and nostalgia predicted move and tap ratings, but only nostalgia emerged as a predictor for dance ratings.
Ke$ha’s TiK ToK, which spent nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 2009, scored the highest for the ‘desire to dance’ category, edging Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars and Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock.
“Our results suggest a distinctive role for nostalgia, beyond the influence of familiarity, in motivating the desire to dance,” said Grahn, a trained concert pianist and faculty member at the Western Institute for Neuroscience.
More recent songs like Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa, Sucker by Jonas Brothers and Bad Guy by Billie Eilish served as a low-nostalgia but familiar control for the study.
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Why Music Makes Us Move: Unpacking the Science of Groove and Nostalgia with Dr. Eleanor Vance
Keywords: Music, Nostalgia, Groove, Dance, Familiarity, Brain, Neuroscience, Movement, Songs
Why do we tap our feet to a catchy beat? What is it about certain songs that compels us to dance? And why do some tunes evoke such strong feelings of longing and joy? The answers may lie in the intersection of neuroscience, music, and the powerful force of nostalgia.
Time.news sat down with Dr. Eleanor Vance, a leading music cognition researcher, to delve into a recent study exploring the relationship between nostalgia and our irresistible urge to groove.
Time.news: Dr. Vance, thank you for joining us. This study on nostalgia and its impact on our desire to move to music is captivating.Can you break down the key findings for our readers?
Dr. vance: Absolutely. The core takeaway is that nostalgia plays a significant role in influencing our desire to move to music, even beyond simply being familiar with a song. The researchers found that songs evoking nostalgic feelings triggered a stronger urge to tap, move, and especially to dance, compared to songs that were merely familiar.
Time.news: So, familiarity isn’t the only factor at play? We all know that Katy Perry’s “Firework” was a massive hit, but according to the study, it doesn’t necessarily inspire the same urge to groove as, say, Ke$ha’s “TiK ToK” for today’s young adults.
Dr. Vance: Exactly. Familiarity is definitely significant – generally, the more familiar you are with a song, the more you’ll enjoy it. But nostalgia adds another layer. It’s that connection to a specific time, place, or emotion that amplifies the urge to move. “Firework” might be widely recognizable, but if it doesn’t trigger those personal, nostalgic memories for a specific age group, it won’t have the same effect as a song intrinsically linked to their formative years, such as “TiK ToK.”
Time.news: The study focused on pop hits from the early 2010s. Why that specific era?
Dr. Vance: The researchers were aiming for songs popular during the participants’ adolescence, the period when musical tastes frequently enough solidify and become deeply intertwined with personal experiences.Think about the music that defined your high school years – those are the songs most likely to evoke strong nostalgic feelings later in life. It’s about harnessing the power of music and memory.
Time.news: The article mentions potential therapeutic benefits for patients with movement disorders.How does this research tie into that?
Dr. Vance: This is a really exciting area. The study reinforces the idea that rhythmic aspects of music stimulate the motor system in the brain. This natural activation could be harnessed to help individuals with Parkinson’s disease, such as, by using music therapy to improve gait, coordination, and overall movement. The rhythmic drive of music can essentially “bypass” some of the neurological pathways affected by the disease.
Time.news: That’s incredible. Does this also have implications for the music industry itself? What can artists and producers learn from this research?
Dr. Vance: Definitely. It highlights the long-term value of creating music that resonates on an emotional level. While chasing current trends is important for immediate success, creating songs that become “nostalgia anthems” can ensure continued engagement and relevance for years to come. Consider what makes a track danceable.Consider how the lyrics may evolve to have a life of their own.
Time.news: Any practical advice for our readers? How can they use this information to improve their own lives, or maybe even throw a killer party?
Dr. Vance: (Laughs) Well,when in doubt,reach for the classics! Think about curating playlists that tap into different nostalgic periods. For a party, consider different eras – the 80s, 90s, 2000s – to appeal to a wider range of personal memories.And more generally, allow yourself to fully experience the emotions that music evokes.Embrace the nostalgia. Let the music move you!
Time.news: Dr. Vance, thank you so much for your insights. This has been incredibly enlightening.
Dr. Vance: My pleasure!
