I come from a musical family. When I was a crying infant, my father would soothe my seemingly inconsolable state by playing Kyuss and Black Sabbath. I remember times when the entire family would be jamming out in the basement, banging on my father's drum set or shaking tambourines and "shakin eggs", dancing uncontrollably. Music was such a huge part of our lives, and it continues to be the one thing that will always bind us together.
But this binding quality that music possesses I quickly found was not isolated to just my family. "Music listening is one of the most enigmatic of human behaviors and contributes to social cohesion" (Huron et al 1, 12). Music as a binding element between people "increases the effectiveness of group action. Work and war songs, lullabies, and national anthems have bound together families, groups, or whole nations" (Huron et al 12). Exploring Rowan University's campus as well as viewing various Instagram profiles and pictures, one can easily see how music forms bonds and strengthens and empowers groups with (sometimes) shared musical taste.
But this binding quality that music possesses I quickly found was not isolated to just my family. "Music listening is one of the most enigmatic of human behaviors and contributes to social cohesion" (Huron et al 1, 12). Music as a binding element between people "increases the effectiveness of group action. Work and war songs, lullabies, and national anthems have bound together families, groups, or whole nations" (Huron et al 12). Exploring Rowan University's campus as well as viewing various Instagram profiles and pictures, one can easily see how music forms bonds and strengthens and empowers groups with (sometimes) shared musical taste.
People listen to music together for many different reasons, the most common of which on Rowan's campus is when studying together. Since it is believed that listening to music as a group increases the effectiveness of group action, it can be inferred that study groups who listen to music may accomplish more. However, music can also have the opposite effect on listeners. Rather than forming bonds between individuals, music can have an isolating effect. Endless studies have been done to explore how music functions in society and the human brain specifically including "possible therapeutic functions for music in clinical settings; the use of music for symbolic exclusion in political terms; the syntactic, semantic, and mediatizing use of film music; and the use of music to manage physiological arousal" (Huron et al 22). There is no one answer to why people listen to music or to why people choose to listen to the music that they listen to. It seems that music is as personal as it is social.
One theory as to why this may be is the suggestion that "you are who you listen to" (McDonald et al). "Research suggests that young people use music to express themselves and to make claims about their identities" (McDonal et al abstract). Moreover, it has also been suggested that people use music as a form of escapism (Huron et al 20). It makes sense then that a number of photographs illustrate people lost inside the worlds of their headphones, intently focused on their separate tasks, paying no mind to the world around them. It also makes sense that hashtags such as #musicislife produce so many pictures illustrating the same types of things: people listening to music alone or people listening to one specific genre or band together at a concert (this is what I like to call individualized socializing - even though they are in a group, they are only in that group because they identify themselves through the chosen music).
One theory as to why this may be is the suggestion that "you are who you listen to" (McDonald et al). "Research suggests that young people use music to express themselves and to make claims about their identities" (McDonal et al abstract). Moreover, it has also been suggested that people use music as a form of escapism (Huron et al 20). It makes sense then that a number of photographs illustrate people lost inside the worlds of their headphones, intently focused on their separate tasks, paying no mind to the world around them. It also makes sense that hashtags such as #musicislife produce so many pictures illustrating the same types of things: people listening to music alone or people listening to one specific genre or band together at a concert (this is what I like to call individualized socializing - even though they are in a group, they are only in that group because they identify themselves through the chosen music).
Through documenting my findings through photographs, it can be surmised that most people use music as a method of focusing or escaping. It is my conclusion, therefore, that people first identify themselves through their music choices and then subscribe to a group. For instance, I am an enormous fan of The Beatles. Because I identify myself by my love of The Beatles, I am then a part of a group of unique individuals who also identify themselves in the same way. This is why searching #thebeatles or #beatlesmania will produce so many results on Instagram or even Twitter and Facebook. All of the results of this search are individual identifications contributing to the group (the hashtag) as a whole.
I think this is what makes music so beautiful. When we walk down the street and we see others bopping their heads as they listen through their headphones, we aren't seeing a bunch of people listening to music. What we are seeing are people immersed in separate worlds. They are physically present in this reality, but are simultaneously absent in their individualized, customized audio world. And while they may seem isolated by this unique identification, it is this feigned solitude that causes them to be a part of a bigger group of similarly interested individuals. My family and I may be physically distant. We may have fights. We may disagree about what to have for dinner. But the one thing my family and I will always share is our love of music. We will always have that bond. And if you subscribe to a particular genre, band, or artist, you share in that bond as well with the others who hold those same interests, whether you realize it or not.
I think this is what makes music so beautiful. When we walk down the street and we see others bopping their heads as they listen through their headphones, we aren't seeing a bunch of people listening to music. What we are seeing are people immersed in separate worlds. They are physically present in this reality, but are simultaneously absent in their individualized, customized audio world. And while they may seem isolated by this unique identification, it is this feigned solitude that causes them to be a part of a bigger group of similarly interested individuals. My family and I may be physically distant. We may have fights. We may disagree about what to have for dinner. But the one thing my family and I will always share is our love of music. We will always have that bond. And if you subscribe to a particular genre, band, or artist, you share in that bond as well with the others who hold those same interests, whether you realize it or not.
Works Cited
Huron, David, Thomas Schafer, Peter Sedlmeier, and Christine Stadtler. "The Psychological Function of Music Listening." PubMed Central. (2013): 1, 12, 20, 22. Print.
McDonald, Jennifer A, Julian A Oldmeadow, and Peter J Rentfrow. "You Are What You Listen To: Young People's Stereotypes About Music Fans." Sage Journals. (2012): 1. Print.
Huron, David, Thomas Schafer, Peter Sedlmeier, and Christine Stadtler. "The Psychological Function of Music Listening." PubMed Central. (2013): 1, 12, 20, 22. Print.
McDonald, Jennifer A, Julian A Oldmeadow, and Peter J Rentfrow. "You Are What You Listen To: Young People's Stereotypes About Music Fans." Sage Journals. (2012): 1. Print.