Creative Journeys Report 2019

76 Creative Journeys close through making the same moves and when this closeness is established people are more likely to continue these moves (Tarr, Launey and Dunbar, 2014). Different art forms in combination with one another can be very powerful. As stated above, active participation in music gives rise to positive emotional response effects, a sense of euphoria, and research has demonstrated that dance and music together can raise pain thresholds and produce positive affect (Dunbar et al., 2012). Dance with music has a greater influence on positive affect than music on its own – even when dance is limited to upper body movement. Physical exertion triggers endorphin activation and this produces a mild high and sense of well-being (ibid). It is possible that the shared endorphin release and increased sense of well-being that results leads people to feel positive towards others in the group and therefore more connected, and this enhances relationships (Pearce et al., 2016). In addition there are also documented well-being benefits of play and playfulness, including the reduction of stress, increased creativity, and improved relationships (Secker et al., 2017). Furthermore, working together in a group and collaborating in the creative process may enhance social engagement and interaction (Bungay, Clift and Skingley, 2010). Our overall findings identified that taking part in arts and cultural activities has been found to increase self- confidence and self-esteem with the additions in the participatory arts case studies of a sense of belonging and self-worth. These findings endorse those found in other studies (Hayes and Minichello, 2005; APPG, 2017; Zarobe and Bungay, 2017). These are important outcomes which are all linked to self-identity. It is suggested that this is partly because of the sense of achievement in being part of the creative process, but is also according to social identity theory because an individual’s sense of self is created through participation as a member of a social group (Theurer et al., 2015).