Ailsa Chang talks with a neuroscientist who found that inaudible bass makes people boogie more.
Ailsa Chang is the host.
Sometimes it's all about the bass at a science lab at a university in Canada, which is also a music venue. The musical ingredients that make us want to dance are being studied by scientists.
There is a music video.
During a live concert by the electronic duo Orphx, the researchers found that low-frequency bass made dancing volunteers move 12% more than normal. The results appear this week in a journal. Hey, I'm here
I'm Daniel Cameron. I would like to say thank you for having me.
Thank you for being with us, Chang. Okay, let's get on with it. I need to hear more about the science project that you did. What did it accomplish?
They had a concert. Orphx performed at the lab. We asked the people who attended the concert if they wanted to participate in our experiment because we had a lot of people who liked this music who were going to dance and listen. All they had to do was wear a headband with a motion capture sensor, fill out some questionnaires, and go to the concert. That's right, so...
Oh, my gosh. I would have agreed to participate in this experiment. I love dancing and will get going when there's a loud beat. Your study is telling me that I can't hear what's getting me going, that's fascinating. What is the cause of me wanting to dance more?
The inner ear structures give us a sense of where our head is in space. If it's loud that system is sensitive. Our sense of touch is something we know.
Yeah, that's right.
The body is sensitive to low-frequency stimulation and low-frequency sound. If you stand in front of a loudspeaker at a concert, you can feel it.
Yes, completely.
It was in your chest. When it's loud, that's the sense of touch. We think that those systems may be picking up on low frequencies that you can't hear.
Yeah, that's right.
The movement control system in our brain is fed by that. Adding a small amount of gain is what it is. It's giving more of a boost.
It's so fascinating.
Through those systems.
I'm one of those people who can't not move when I hear music, and I'm not the only one. Do you know why people dance at all?
Why do people dance? It is a big-scale question. It's difficult to test. There are definitely ideas that need to be worked on. It is evolutionarily adaptive for us to dance. When we're making music and dancing together, it leads to social bonding. We're feeling better about it.
Yeah, that's right.
They're with the people. We feel more connected with them after we do things that are in sync with each other.
Yeah, that's right. It's definitely true.
The long history of our species makes it possible for groups to benefit from this. Music and movement can be used to regulate emotions. Throughout history with babies, you see this a lot. They are trying to be soothed by us.
Yeah, that's right.
We rock them along with our singing. This idea of moving and singing is a functional one. There might be adaptive value in those things. It's not easy to test this question.
It's totally true.
There are evolutionary reasons for dancing. One of the ingredients for dancing is what makes us want to dance more.
There is a cognitive neuroscientist at the university. We want to thank you for joining us.
Thanks a lot for having me. It has been enjoyable.
There is a song called "All About That Bass".
"Cause you know I'm all about that bass, 'bout that bass - no treble", says Meggan Trainor. I'm all about that bass. I'm all about that bass. I'm all about that bass, but I'm not a fan of that bass. I'm all about that bass. I'm all about that bass. I'm all about that bass, but I'm not a fan of that bass.
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