We have those friends that are avid ravers or festivalgoers. Hell, maybe we are those friends. They’re the smiling, excited, passionate people that love nothing more than a great live music set. I know you’re thinking of exactly who I’m talking about right now. Yeah, them.
Well, turns out there really is a scientific reason behind this. A new study from Australia has shown that individuals that regularly attend music festivals or spend time dancing reported higher levels of well-being than individuals that did not. Melissa Weinberg and Dawn Joseph, scholars from Deakin University that conducted the study, believe that these findings reflect “the important role of engaging with music in the company of others.”
Weinberg and Joseph’s study, published in Psychology of Music, interviewed 1,000 Australians over the phone back in 2014. They were asked to rate how satisfied they were with their lives in that moment from zero to ten, as well as “a series of yes/no questions to establish their habitual modes of engagement with music. They reported whether or not they listened to music, played an instrument, sang, dance, created or composed music, and/or attended musical concerts.”
Ultimately, “total wellbeing scores were significantly higher for people who reported that they danced or attended musical events.” The results demonstrated that, regardless of the fact that we’re in an era where we can listen to whatever song we want at the touch of a few buttons, we still choose to gather and create community. We choose to engage with others at musical events. It’s a conscious decision that keeps us coming back for more.
Sure, this study obviously doesn’t guarantee your happiness if you choose to attend EDC, Coachella, Bonnaroo or any other music festival out there. It does, however, show that there really is something captivating about these events that draw so many thousands of attendees every year. Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist, once coined the term “collective efffervescence” – the feeling that is created when individuals come together in a similar action that allows them to communicate the same thoughts and feelings – the exact way to describe that vibe you get when you’re jamming out to that live set you love so much. You connect to those around you that love the same thing you do. You are experiencing it together and creating a bond unlike any other.
Who doesn’t want to be happier? Give a few music festivals a shot and maybe you’ll see what the hype is about.