Audience synchronies in live concerts illustrate the embodiment of music experience.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Uncontrolled observational physiological cohort study during live performances
PubMed 37798262 · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-41960-2
What was done
Researchers monitored the physiological and motor responses of 132 audience members across three identical live chamber music concerts featuring works by Beethoven, Dean, and Brahms. Measures included heart rate, respiration rate, skin conductance response, breathing behavior, and body movement. Participants completed questionnaires before and after the performances assessing personality traits, affect, and aesthetic experiences to determine how subjective immersion related to bodily synchrony.
What was found
The abstract reports that audience members showed physiological synchrony in heart rate, respiration rate, and skin conductance response, alongside motor movement synchrony, while breathing behavior was not synchronized. Physiological synchrony, particularly for heart rate, was higher when listeners reported feeling emotionally moved, inspired, and immersed. Individual contributions to synchrony also correlated with personality traits. No specific numerical values, effect sizes, or p-values are reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This study provides evidence that collective live music listening elicits shared autonomic and motor resonance across an audience, linking physiological coupling directly to subjective aesthetic engagement.
Limits
The abstract reports no numerical data, confidence intervals, or statistical test statistics. The study lacked a non-musical or recorded-music control condition to determine the specific role of the live performance context, and generalizability may be limited by the classical chamber music setting.