The power of sacred rhythms: effects on collective effervescence, cooperation, and morality
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
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| Description | In 1912, Durkheim defined rituals as “ways of acting that are generated only within assembled groups and are meant to stimulate and sustain or recreate certain mental states in these groups.” After 100 years, due to technological advancement, we can better understand what these mental states are and how they are evoked. Moreover, we can investigate how different ritual behaviors affect our evolved brains, possibly induce feelings of rapport and entitativity. The aim of this talk is to show how collective ritual activities like drumming and dancing may support cooperation among group members. Rhythm has a significant effect on synchrony and intersubjective coordination, affecting human timekeeping abilities, not only during listening, but also in everyday cooperative tasks. These aftereffects of exposure to rhythm should support performance in joint tasks, possibly inducing feelings of self-other overlap. Through investigations into the role of music in rituals, I will draw parallels between the evolution of ritual behavior and the evolution of music. |
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