| Summary: | <p>Dance – movement to music – is a ubiquitous and ancient human activity, which may serve important adaptive functions. In this thesis I focus on the suggestion that dance may encourage social bonding amongst co-actors by stimulating the production of endorphins in the Endogenous Opioid System (EOS).</p>
<p>Studies have demonstrated that performing similar movements in a predictable, rhythmic fashion makes dyads feel more socially close, likely due to a merged sense of ‘self’ and ‘other’. Synchronising movements with other people has also been investigated with regard to its neurochemical effect. People performing exertive synchronised movements in a social context experience increased pain threshold (a proxy measure of endorphin release by the EOS) compared to those performing the same movements alone or out of synchrony.</p>
<p>This thesis brings together these two bodies of literature to address a number of outstanding questions regarding the effects of dance in a naturalistic context (i.e. groups rather than dyads moving to music rather than a metronome). Firstly, does dance make people feel more socially bonded? Secondly, what role does exertion play in the relationship between synchrony, social bonding and endorphin release? Thirdly, what aspects of synchrony (similar movement and/or mere temporal entrainment to music) are associated with this social bonding and endorphin release? Finally, does endogenous opioid uptake mediate the social bonding effects in dance?</p>
<p>In experiment 1, I compare participants’ self-reported closeness and generosity in an economic game before and after either a real-world dance class or gym session and find that either activity can have an effect on some measures of social bonding between strangers. In experiment 2, conducted in Brazil, I find both synchrony and exertion have significant and independent main effects on self-reported bonding amongst non-strangers, and on pain threshold (a proxy measure of endorphin levels). The subsequent two experiments are laboratory-based studies in the UK, and utilise silent disco technology to better manipulate the audio-visual experience of synchrony between strangers, and Actiwatches to measure exertion. Participants in synchrony with one another experience elevated pain threshold and higher levels of social bonding and in experiment 4, naltrexone- (an endorphin antagonist) treated participants experience suppressed analgesic effects, confirming that exertive synchronous movement activates the EOS.</p>
<p>In conclusion, this thesis presents novel research on and preliminary support for the endorphin-mediated social bonding hypothesis of dance. The results lay the foundation for further investigation into the complex neurohormonal underpinnings of these human social behaviours, and contribute to our understanding of the atavistic nature of group dance.</p>
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