Low bass makes people dance, according to a new study – Vijesti

Neuroscientists have found that the lower the bass during a night out, the more likely the crowd will dance, Guard reports.

According to a a new report in the journal Current Biologyresearchers have found that very low frequency (VLF) sound encourages more movement in dancers, despite the fact that many cannot hear it.

Speaking in the journal, neuroscientist Dr Daniel Cameron confirmed: “This is an actual electronic music dance concert in the real world, confirmation that bass really does make people dance more – and it’s not just something coming from our conscious awareness.”

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Cameron, who first authored the study at Canada’s McMaster University, also acknowledged that previous studies have looked at the effect of lower frequencies on dancers, noting the same.

The new study, which collected data from multiple attendees at an electronic music night featuring a DJ set by Canadian duo Orphx put on by the researchers, was put together by Cameron and another group of neuroscientists.

The researchers asked the participants to wear motion-capturing headbands and conducted the study by switching very low-frequency speakers periodically every 2.5 minutes.

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Results from a 55-minute performance and 43 participating participants revealed that dancers moved an average of 11.8% more when exposed to VLF. According to the researchers, this meant that the dancers moved more energetically than they would otherwise.

By the end of the gig, 51 participants said they felt ‘bodily sensations’ associated with the music when asked to complete a questionnaire.

“We’d lose all ecological validity if we just turn up the speakers, the bones start rattling and everyone can say ‘oh, there’s really something different going on here.’ We didn’t want them to be aware of what we were doing,” Cameron said in the report.

[Via The Gaurdian]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s editorial assistant, follow her Twitter