We have spent most of our evolution in small scale groups. Our human psychology developed to deal with this. However, our 21st Century context has evolved faster than our brains can compute and so we often find ourselves adrift and atomised in the digisphere.
Interested as we are in what hasn’t changed about human behaviour for millennia, we reached back to a stone age toolkit to help us to fast-track trust and connection. These ‘tools’ were used by our ancestors to develop trust and a sense of belonging.
Each of these shared activities unleashes a neurochemical response in the shape of endorphins: social hormones that create the foundations for bonding and boost the immune system. A simple hour of singing (anything!) together as strangers creates a bond as strong as if you’d been at primary school together.*
We design all of these elements into our development programmes.
J. Community Appl. Soc. Psychol., 26: 518–533 (2016) Published online 17 July 2016 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/casp.2278
Is Group Singing Special? Health, Well-Being and Social Bonds in Community-Based Adult Education Classes EILUNED PEARCE*, JACQUES LAUNAY, ANNA MACHIN and ROBIN I. M. DUNBAR Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
.jpg)
