The Psychology of Dance Music: Why Do We Love EDM So Much?

If music did not directly affect the human body and emotions, it would most likely never have been created. Since it has already been proven that music can help treat psychological and physical conditions, it is impossible to argue with this. If you want to know more about it, you can visit researchpaperwriter.net, where you will be helped to compose a detailed paper on the influence of music on emotional and physical background. 

Today, we want to discuss electronic dance music and why people like it so much. The answer lies in the melodies, the psychology of sound perception, and our reaction to body rhythms. We react to music not only emotionally and rationally but also subconsciously.

Rhythm and Tempo as the Basis of Emotional Connection

Electronic dance music was born in the late 1970s and has developed into many genres with a variety of rhythms, moods, and tempos. In general, the average tempo of EDM is 120 beats per minute. It is unknown whether many DJs chose this tempo by chance or whether this speed was best “felt,” but such BPM has underlying rational medical explanations of attachment. The fact is that 120 beats per minute is the average rate of human heartbeat at medium physical activity, which corresponds to dancing. 

Constant energetic rhythm paired with emotional attachment to the track can create feelings of vigor and even euphoria. This is achieved by releasing a large amount of so-called joy hormones. Build-ups and drops amplify the effect. In general, waiting for a drop in the track is similar to waiting for the backstage opening in the theater. People wait for it to experience positive emotions and to feel a certain sense of relief because the increasing tempo returns to the familiar melody of the track. Swedish House Mafia’s classic track “Don’t You Worry Child” is a perfect example. The combination of the vigor of anticipation and relaxation a person is sure to want to repeat is what many music researchers believe is one of the reasons why EDM is so popular worldwide. 

The Effects of Bass Lines on the Body and Mind

Another important component of EDM is, of course, the bass. Powerful basslines, especially in drops, can elicit an enthusiastic scream from the listener, even with headphones at home. Studies show that the human body reacts to bass not only through hearing but also through vibrations. Listening to and understanding the whole musical picture of electronic music tracks is more than just a matter of hearing. You literally feel it with your whole body. 

This effect is especially noticeable at concerts and near the stage when you feel the music pass through you with your whole body. If you’ve ever been to a major festival, like Tomorrowland or Ultra Music Festival, you know exactly what we’re talking about. 

A Sense of Belonging and Like-Minded People

Most EDM genres are extremely positive and affirmative. It’s not the kind of music you listen to to chill out or think about. This is the kind of music you listen to to get upbeat and have fun. And friendly companions are easy to find in such an environment. According to many social surveys, as one of the most vivid impressions in life, people remember visiting various concerts and club parties where they completely relaxed surrounded by other people and danced and had fun together. 

This moment also has an understandable cultural background. Collective dance is a part of human culture and a sacred element of spiritual and religious practices. The only difference is that collective dance is not necessarily round dances around the fire in the modern world. In psychology, there is such a term as “crowd effect.” This is when the boundaries and internal limitations exhibited by the psyche weaken. A person in a group can relax and give himself completely to emotions without caring about how he looks or what others may think of him. 

The State of Flow

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the author of the term “flow .” In this state, one is completely immersed in what one is doing, loses the sense of time, and forgets about all other worries. Dance music picks up this definition in the best possible way. After all, each of us being at a concert at some point realized that he does not know how much time has passed since the beginning and how long everything will last. 

This state is achieved through complete concentration on what is going on. Thanks to its tracks, which usually build up to the long-awaited drop, EDM does a great job with this. DJs always use this technique to keep the audience energized and eager. 

With EDM Music, It’s Impossible Not to Move

It is impossible not to move to dance music, and this is not an exaggeration but a scientifically proven fact. At the same time, the music works both for fans of the genre and those who may be deprived of such tracks for the first time. It was possible to learn this thanks to researchers from Norway. Professor of music technology Alexander Refsuma Jensenius and his colleagues were the first in the world to study the micro-movements that involuntarily make a person listen to music. 

The scientist and his colleagues held a competition for the “most immovable Norwegian” for four years. According to the terms of the task, participants had to stand as long as possible without movement, listening to melodies with different bit rates. And it turned out that it was under EDM that most of the subjects began to move to the beat of the music or made unconscious movements. 

Conclusion 

EDM is unique music not only in terms of the variety of genres and approaches to its creation but also in the way it affects our bodies. It is music of purely positive emotions and a good mood that you want to share with others. And it doesn’t matter if it works from a scientific point of view or just for fun, because what’s the difference if you have a good time and nobody feels bad about it?