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The Attraction of Synchrony: A Hip-Hop Dance Study
Colleen Tang Poy1, Matthew H Woolhouse2,3
1Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Frontiers in Psychology
|December 21, 2020
Summary
Synchronized dancing, especially when dancers and music align, enhances aesthetic appreciation and social bonding. This suggests dance
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary psychology
- Social neuroscience
- Dance studies
Background:
- Choreographed synchronous dance is culturally widespread.
- Hypothesized evolutionary function: increased attractiveness and social bonding.
- Dance synchrony may signal compatibility for procreation.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the evolutionary-adaptive explanation for dance synchrony.
- Examine how dancer-dancer and dancer-music synchrony affect aesthetic appreciation.
- Determine if pupil dilation correlates with perceived synchrony and attractiveness.
Main Methods:
- Dual-dancer study with split-screen video stimuli.
- Manipulated dancer synchrony (synchronous/asynchronous) and music tempo (fast/medium/slow).
- Recorded participants' pupil dilation and aesthetic ratings.
Main Results:
- Higher synchrony between dancers and music led to greater aesthetic appreciation.
- Dancer-dancer synchrony was prioritized over dancer-music synchrony.
- Asymmetrical synchrony (one dancer synchronous) was rated lower than full asynchrony.
- Fully synchronous stimuli (dancers and music) received the highest ratings and pupil dilation.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the hypothesis that dance synchrony enhances interpersonal aesthetic appreciation.
- Synchrony, particularly between dancers, appears crucial for positive social evaluation.
- Synchronized group movement may play a role in facilitating social bonding and mate selection.
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