Study finds low-frequency bass leads to more dancing

The McMaster University LIVELab is not like the university labs you’re used to. It’s a theater that fits 106 people complete with a stage for performers and space for researchers from McMaster University. LIVE stands for Large Interactive Virtual Environment, where they research neurological responses to performances in music, human interaction in groups, and the social impact of large experiences.

Recently, the lab has been focusing on how concertgoers react to music, particularly what makes people dance more. To test this, researchers used the LIVELab as well as 3D motion capture, professional sound equipment, and Canadian electronic music duo Orphx.

The study used 60 people, each given headbands that would track their movements. Then, the participants attended a concert by Orphx. While the performers were aware of the study, they did not change their performance in any way, to make the research as accurate as possible for a concert setting. Every few minutes, the researchers would play a low-frequency sound, one that the audience probably couldn’t hear, during which they would track how much the participants moved in comparison to the rest of the concert.

During the 45 minute concert, they found that the participants danced at 12 percent of a greater rate when the low-bass speakers were playing, as opposed to when they weren’t. The researchers speculate that it has to do with our inner ear. The vestibular system, a portion of our ear that provides balance and is closely related to movement, is able to pick up the low frequencies and allowed the participants to perceive more rhythm than what they could hear audibly. In this case, while the concert-goers could not hear the extra bass sounds, it affected their motor and balance nonetheless, increasing the intensity of movement, which led to more dancing.

The university points out that research like this is an important intersection of music and technology. The first author of the paper, Daniel Cameron, says “I’m trained as a drummer, and most of my research career has been focused on the rhythmic aspects of music and how they make us move”. The lab continues to explore this by combining neuroscience with music, dance, and performance. They have also recently released publications on how music affects coordination, academic skills, and even topics like how our brains react to popular songs.

In the future, as research in this field continues to grow, the LIVELab plans to look at the potential for music and health, particularly related to stress levels and music therapy. While their work is still ongoing, the group undoubtedly has an appreciation for music. Cameron also points out that, “Music is a biological curiosity – it doesn’t reproduce us, it doesn’t feed us, and it doesn’t shelter us, so why do humans like it and why do they like to move to it?” Although these are questions we have yet to answer, studying how we react to sounds and performances brings us one step closer to understanding the hold music has on us.