Creative Journeys Report 2019

74 Creative Journeys Of all the arts, it has been suggested that music has the greatest impact on health and well-being (Clift and Hancox, 2001) and it was observed across all the case studies that people were engaging with music in some form during their activities. Music provokes emotional responses, it has also been found to enhance the quality of people’s experiences and relationships and plays an important role in communication (Hays and Minichiello, 2005). Dunbar, an evolutionary psychologist, attributes music’s ability to produce emotional responses such as euphoria to the stimulation of an endorphin surge (Dunbar, 2014). However, it is not only music that can trigger this endorphin release; laughter, synchronised sport, singing and dancing can also produce this effect (Tarr, Launey and Dunbar, 2014). A surge of endorphins is not the only physiological response which can happen as a result of playing music or singing together. Research has demonstrated that when a group plays music or sing together, the heart beats of individuals go into synchrony; that is they start beating at the same rate (Stewart and Lonsdale, 2016). Music stimulates changes in emotional states because of the endorphin opioid system, calming music buffers the effects of stress, and exertion through music and dance activate endorphin opioid system, this has been found to have an analgesic effect and produce emotional mood responses, when this is combined with synchronisation it can help with social bonding (Tarr, Launey and Dunbar, 2014). Whilst music can have an impact on the individual, it has also been described as a ‘social glue’ that brings people together through providing the opportunity for people to connect at a personal level (Hays and Minichiello, 2005).