From I to WE: How Music Trigger Human Social Identity

Research Article
Open access

From I to WE: How Music Trigger Human Social Identity

Yi Tao 1 , Pengpeng Chang 2*
  • 1 Beijing Normal University· Hong Kong Baptist University United International College    
  • 2 Central Conservatory of Music    
  • *corresponding author 23b329@mail.ccom.edu.cn
CHR Vol.70
ISSN (Print): 2753-7072
ISSN (Online): 2753-7064
ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-147-1
ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-148-8

Abstract

From the perspective of evolutionary psychology, the social function of music is widely recognized. To explore the background, condition, and causes in the process of music triggering individual social identity, based on the review of previous literature, this paper proposes three main mechanisms: emotional resonance, physiological activation, and interactive exchange. Three paths respectively: first, music makes people share common emotions, and then feel a sense of belonging in a specific social group; second, people perceive music can bring a consistent physiological response and reach group synchronization; third, people's participation in a music work that to be completed is like a hypothetical N-person switching system, and can build social bonds with others. In general, this paper argues that music can trigger social identity through the above three interactive mechanisms, and provide more clues about the connection between social identity’s foundation and the music field, expanding to larger impacts, results, and possible use.

Keywords:

Music, social identity, evolutionary psychology, mechanism

Tao,Y.;Chang,P. (2025). From I to WE: How Music Trigger Human Social Identity. Communications in Humanities Research,70,221-225.
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References

[1]. Fancourt, D., & Perkins, R. (2018). The effects of mother–infant singing on emotional closeness, affect, anxiety, and stress hormones. Music & Science, 1, 205920431774574-. https://doi.org/10.1177/2059204317745746

[2]. Fancourt, D., & Perkins, R. (2018). The effects of mother–infant singing on emotional closeness, affect, anxiety, and stress hormones. Music & Science, 1, 205920431774574-. https://doi.org/10.1177/2059204317745746

[3]. Schellenberg, E. G., Corrigall, K. A., Dys, S. P., & Malti, T. (2015). Group Music Training and Children’s Prosocial Skills. PloS One, 10(10), e0141449–e0141449. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141449

[4]. Pearce, E., Launay, J., Machin, A., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2016). Is Group Singing Special? Health, Well-Being and Social Bonds in Community-Based Adult Education Classes. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 26(6), 518–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2278

[5]. Savage, P. E., Loui, P., Tarr, B., Schachner, A., Glowacki, L., Mithen, S., & Fitch, W. T. (2021). Music as a coevolved system for social bonding. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44, e59–e59. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X20000333

[6]. Pinker, S. (1997). How the mind works. Penguin.

[7]. Mehr, S. A., Krasnow, M. M., Bryant, G. A., & Hagen, E. H. (2021). Origins of music in credible signaling. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44, e60.

[8]. Forgas, J. P., Haselton, M. G., & Von Hippel, W. (2011). Evolution and the social mind : Evolutionary Psychology and Social Cognition. In Psychology Press eBooks (pp. 179–194). http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA82704563

[9]. Tajfel, H. (Ed.). (1978). Differentiation between social groups: Studies in the social psychology of intergroup relations. Academic Press.

[10]. Hogg, M. A., & Turner, J. C. (1987). Intergroup behaviour, self‐stereotyping and the salience of social categories. British Journal of Social Psychology, 26(4), 325–340. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8309.1987.tb00795.x

[11]. Tekman, H. G., & Hortaçsu, N. (2002). Music and social identity: Stylistic identification as a response to musical style. International Journal of Psychology, 37(5), 277–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207590244000043

[12]. Juslin, P. N. (2013). What does music express? Basic emotions and beyond. Frontiers in Psychology, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00596

[13]. Hevner, K. (1936). Experimental studies of the elements of expression in music. The American Journal of Psychology, 48(2), 246. https://doi.org/10.2307/1415746

[14]. Krumhansl, C. L. (1997). An exploratory study of musical emotions and psychophysiology. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology/Revue Canadienne De Psychologie Expérimentale, 51(4), 336–353. https://doi.org/10.1037/1196-1961.51.4.3367

[15]. Hatfield, E., Rapson, R. L., & Le, Y. L. (2009b). Emotional contagion and empathy. In The MIT Press eBooks (pp. 19–30). https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262012973.003.0003

[16]. Garrido, S., Eerola, T., & McFerran, K. (2017). Group Rumination: Social Interactions Around Music in People with Depression. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00490

[17]. Mercer, J. (2014). Feeling like a state: social emotion and identity. International Theory, 6(3), 515–535. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1752971914000244

[18]. Sloboda, J. A., O’Neill, S. A., & Ivaldi, A. (2001). Functions of Music in Everyday Life: An exploratory study using the experience Sampling method. Musicae Scientiae, 5(1), 9–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/102986490100500102

[19]. Thaut, M. H., & Hodges, D. A. (2019). The Oxford Handbook of Music and the Brain. Oxford Library of Psychology.

[20]. Zentner, M., & Eerola, T. (2010). Rhythmic engagement with music in infancy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(13), 5768–5773. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1000121107

[21]. Hilton, C. B., Crowley, L., Yan, R., Martin, A., & Mehr, S. A. (2021). Children infer the behavioral contexts of unfamiliar foreign songs. Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/rz6qn

[22]. Percival, H. (2021). Can you hear the connection? A study on musical-social bonding (Doctoral dissertation).

[23]. Hove, M. J., Suzuki, K., Uchitomi, H., Orimo, S., & Miyake, Y. (2011). Interactive rhythmic auditory stimulation reinstates natural 1/f timing in gait of Parkinson’s patients. Cognitive Science, 33(33).

[24]. Abrams, D. A., Ryali, S., Chen, T., Chordia, P., Khouzam, A., Levitin, D. J., & Menon, V. (2013). Inter-subject synchronization of brain responses during natural music listening. European Journal of Neuroscience, 37(9), 1458–1469. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.12173

[25]. Tschacher, W., Greenwood, S., Ramakrishnan, S., Tröndle, M., Wald-Fuhrmann, M., Seibert, C., Weining, C., & Meier, D. (2023). Audience synchronies in live concerts illustrate the embodiment of music experience. Scientific Reports, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41960-2

[26]. Wiltermuth, S. S., & Heath, C. (2009). Synchrony and cooperation. Psychological Science, 20(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02253.x

[27]. McGrath, J. E., & Kelly, J. R. (1986). Time and human interaction: Toward a Social Psychology of Time.

[28]. Vicaria, I. M., & Dickens, L. (2016). Meta-Analyses of the intra- and interpersonal outcomes of interpersonal coordination. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 40(4), 335–361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-016-0238-8

[29]. Hove, M. J., & Risen, J. L. (2009). It's all in the timing: Interpersonal synchrony increases affiliation. Social cognition, 27(6), 949-960.

[30]. Kokal, I., Engel, A., Kirschner, S., & Keysers, C. (2011). Synchronized drumming enhances activity in the caudate and facilitates prosocial commitment - if the rhythm comes easily. PLoS ONE, 6(11), e27272. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027272

[31]. Tooby, J., Cosmides, L., & Price, M. E. (2006). Cognitive adaptations for n‐person exchange: the evolutionary roots of organizational behavior. Managerial and Decision Economics, 27(2–3), 103–129. https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.1287

Cite this article

Tao,Y.;Chang,P. (2025). From I to WE: How Music Trigger Human Social Identity. Communications in Humanities Research,70,221-225.

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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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Volume title: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies

ISBN：978-1-80590-147-1(Print) / 978-1-80590-148-8(Online)
Editor：Heidi Gregory-Mina
Conference website: https://2024.icihcs.org/
Conference date: 29 November 2024
Series: Communications in Humanities Research
Volume number: Vol.70
ISSN：2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

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References

[1]. Fancourt, D., & Perkins, R. (2018). The effects of mother–infant singing on emotional closeness, affect, anxiety, and stress hormones. Music & Science, 1, 205920431774574-. https://doi.org/10.1177/2059204317745746

[2]. Fancourt, D., & Perkins, R. (2018). The effects of mother–infant singing on emotional closeness, affect, anxiety, and stress hormones. Music & Science, 1, 205920431774574-. https://doi.org/10.1177/2059204317745746

[3]. Schellenberg, E. G., Corrigall, K. A., Dys, S. P., & Malti, T. (2015). Group Music Training and Children’s Prosocial Skills. PloS One, 10(10), e0141449–e0141449. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141449

[4]. Pearce, E., Launay, J., Machin, A., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2016). Is Group Singing Special? Health, Well-Being and Social Bonds in Community-Based Adult Education Classes. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 26(6), 518–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2278

[5]. Savage, P. E., Loui, P., Tarr, B., Schachner, A., Glowacki, L., Mithen, S., & Fitch, W. T. (2021). Music as a coevolved system for social bonding. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44, e59–e59. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X20000333

[6]. Pinker, S. (1997). How the mind works. Penguin.

[7]. Mehr, S. A., Krasnow, M. M., Bryant, G. A., & Hagen, E. H. (2021). Origins of music in credible signaling. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44, e60.

[8]. Forgas, J. P., Haselton, M. G., & Von Hippel, W. (2011). Evolution and the social mind : Evolutionary Psychology and Social Cognition. In Psychology Press eBooks (pp. 179–194). http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA82704563

[9]. Tajfel, H. (Ed.). (1978). Differentiation between social groups: Studies in the social psychology of intergroup relations. Academic Press.

[10]. Hogg, M. A., & Turner, J. C. (1987). Intergroup behaviour, self‐stereotyping and the salience of social categories. British Journal of Social Psychology, 26(4), 325–340. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8309.1987.tb00795.x

[11]. Tekman, H. G., & Hortaçsu, N. (2002). Music and social identity: Stylistic identification as a response to musical style. International Journal of Psychology, 37(5), 277–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207590244000043

[12]. Juslin, P. N. (2013). What does music express? Basic emotions and beyond. Frontiers in Psychology, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00596

[13]. Hevner, K. (1936). Experimental studies of the elements of expression in music. The American Journal of Psychology, 48(2), 246. https://doi.org/10.2307/1415746

[14]. Krumhansl, C. L. (1997). An exploratory study of musical emotions and psychophysiology. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology/Revue Canadienne De Psychologie Expérimentale, 51(4), 336–353. https://doi.org/10.1037/1196-1961.51.4.3367

[15]. Hatfield, E., Rapson, R. L., & Le, Y. L. (2009b). Emotional contagion and empathy. In The MIT Press eBooks (pp. 19–30). https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262012973.003.0003

[16]. Garrido, S., Eerola, T., & McFerran, K. (2017). Group Rumination: Social Interactions Around Music in People with Depression. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00490

[17]. Mercer, J. (2014). Feeling like a state: social emotion and identity. International Theory, 6(3), 515–535. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1752971914000244

[18]. Sloboda, J. A., O’Neill, S. A., & Ivaldi, A. (2001). Functions of Music in Everyday Life: An exploratory study using the experience Sampling method. Musicae Scientiae, 5(1), 9–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/102986490100500102

[19]. Thaut, M. H., & Hodges, D. A. (2019). The Oxford Handbook of Music and the Brain. Oxford Library of Psychology.

[20]. Zentner, M., & Eerola, T. (2010). Rhythmic engagement with music in infancy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(13), 5768–5773. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1000121107

[21]. Hilton, C. B., Crowley, L., Yan, R., Martin, A., & Mehr, S. A. (2021). Children infer the behavioral contexts of unfamiliar foreign songs. Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/rz6qn

[22]. Percival, H. (2021). Can you hear the connection? A study on musical-social bonding (Doctoral dissertation).

[23]. Hove, M. J., Suzuki, K., Uchitomi, H., Orimo, S., & Miyake, Y. (2011). Interactive rhythmic auditory stimulation reinstates natural 1/f timing in gait of Parkinson’s patients. Cognitive Science, 33(33).

[24]. Abrams, D. A., Ryali, S., Chen, T., Chordia, P., Khouzam, A., Levitin, D. J., & Menon, V. (2013). Inter-subject synchronization of brain responses during natural music listening. European Journal of Neuroscience, 37(9), 1458–1469. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.12173

[25]. Tschacher, W., Greenwood, S., Ramakrishnan, S., Tröndle, M., Wald-Fuhrmann, M., Seibert, C., Weining, C., & Meier, D. (2023). Audience synchronies in live concerts illustrate the embodiment of music experience. Scientific Reports, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41960-2

[26]. Wiltermuth, S. S., & Heath, C. (2009). Synchrony and cooperation. Psychological Science, 20(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02253.x

[27]. McGrath, J. E., & Kelly, J. R. (1986). Time and human interaction: Toward a Social Psychology of Time.

[28]. Vicaria, I. M., & Dickens, L. (2016). Meta-Analyses of the intra- and interpersonal outcomes of interpersonal coordination. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 40(4), 335–361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-016-0238-8

[29]. Hove, M. J., & Risen, J. L. (2009). It's all in the timing: Interpersonal synchrony increases affiliation. Social cognition, 27(6), 949-960.

[30]. Kokal, I., Engel, A., Kirschner, S., & Keysers, C. (2011). Synchronized drumming enhances activity in the caudate and facilitates prosocial commitment - if the rhythm comes easily. PLoS ONE, 6(11), e27272. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027272

[31]. Tooby, J., Cosmides, L., & Price, M. E. (2006). Cognitive adaptations for n‐person exchange: the evolutionary roots of organizational behavior. Managerial and Decision Economics, 27(2–3), 103–129. https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.1287

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