https://phys.org/news/2025-03-solo-music-boosts-social.html Phys.org Topics * Week's top * Latest news * Unread news * Subscribe [ ] Science X Account [ ] [ ] [*] Remember me Sign In Click here to sign in with or Forget Password? Not a member? Sign up Learn more * Nanotechnology * Physics * Earth * Astronomy & Space * Chemistry * Biology * Other Sciences * Medical Xpress Medicine * Tech Xplore Technology [INS::INS] * * share this! * 1 * Tweet * Share * Email 1. Home 2. Other Sciences 3. Social Sciences * * * --------------------------------------------------------------------- March 19, 2025 The GIST Editors' notes This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked trusted source proofread Study finds solo music listening boosts social well-being by Bert Gambini, University at Buffalo headphones Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Listening to music by yourself might not seem like a social activity, but University at Buffalo researchers have published a study that suggests how doing so can have valuable social benefits. "It's a great way to give yourself a social boost and increase your well-being," says Elaine Paravati, Ph.D., the study's corresponding author, who conducted the research while completing her doctorate at UB. Across two experiments for the study published in the journal Psychology of Music, Paravati and co-authors--Esha Naidu, Ph.D., a postdoctoral associate at Duke University, who was finishing her graduate work at UB at the time of the research; and Shira Gabriel, Ph.D., a UB professor of psychology--demonstrated how music functions as a social surrogate. The study's perspective, however, differs from a lot of previous research on the social aspects of music, which often focus on how music brings people together, as listeners and performers. Paravati instead looked at music enjoyed in isolation. Humans have a fundamental need to belong, which strongly motivates our behavior. Failing to connect with others can lead to depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. There are traditional ways to fill this need, like spending time with family and friends, but there are non-traditional strategies as well, activities that might not be immediately recognized as social. These are known as social surrogates, which can buffer against loneliness, isolation and social threats, like rejection, just as well as time spent with others. Parasocial relationships, such as the one-sided bond between fans and celebrities, immersion into the social world, and reminders of others, are all social surrogates. [INS::INS] "Listening to music alone operates as a social surrogate along all three of those pathways," says Paravati. "All of these paths can help us feel less lonely and more belonging. Music helps us feel connected to the artists; it can make us feel immersed in the world of music; and music can remind us of others. "You might think you're motivated to listen to your favorite song because you think it has a catchy beat, but it's likely that you're drawn in because that music is filling your social fuel tank and helping you feel a sense of belonging." For the study's first experiment, researchers asked participants about their use of known social surrogates, such as favorite television shows, as well as their use of music. "We found that listening to one's favorite music helped individuals feel less lonely," says Paravati. "But someone's favorite music was more effective at this than just listening to music in general. "In other words, there is something special about putting on your favorite song and jamming out." For the second experiment, the researchers designed a test to measure the effectiveness of favorite music as a response to a social threat. Participants played a virtual ball-toss game often used for research on social exclusion. "Again, those who listened to their favorite music felt more belonging than those in the control condition, suggesting that listening to their favorite music buffered against the negative effects of a social threat." Paravati says future research might explore the impact of music genre or the individual differences among the three surrogate pathways and which might be more important than the other two. "This work is another puzzle piece that shows how little things we do in our everyday lives help us to be as healthy and happy as possible," says Paravati. More information: Elaine Paravati et al, Thank you for the music: Music as a social surrogate that protects against social threats, Psychology of Music (2025). DOI: 10.1177/03057356241312219 Provided by University at Buffalo Citation: Study finds solo music listening boosts social well-being (2025, March 19) retrieved 4 April 2025 from https://phys.org/news/ 2025-03-solo-music-boosts-social.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. 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