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Cited by 469Evolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorLanguage and cultural evolutionNeuroscience and Music Perception

Music and dance as a coalition signaling system

Hagen, Edward H., Bryant, Gregory A.·2003·Human Nature
DOI 10.1007/s12110-003-1015-z
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Abstract

Evidence suggests that humans might have neurological specializations for music processing, but a compelling adaptationist account of music and dance is lacking. The sexual selection hypothesis cannot easily account for the widespread performance of music and dance in groups (especially synchronized performances), and the social bonding hypothesis has severe theoretical difficulties. Humans are unique among the primates in their ability to form cooperative alliances between groups in the absence of consanguineal ties. We propose that this unique form of social organization is predicated on music and dance. Music and dance may have evolved as a coalition signaling system that could, among other things, credibly communicate coalition quality, thus permitting meaningful cooperative relationships between groups. This capability may have evolved from coordinated territorial defense signals that are common in many social species, including chimpanzees. We present a study in which manipulation of music synchrony significantly altered subjects' perceptions of music quality, and in which subjects' perceptions of music quality were correlated with their perceptions of coalition quality, supporting our hypothesis. Our hypothesis also has implications for the evolution of psychological mechanisms underlying cultural production in other domains such as food preparation, clothing and body decoration, storytelling and ritual, and tools and other artifacts.

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  • It has been argued that singing, as well as other musical activities, may have evolved as a mechanism of social bonding.

    “Notably, it has been argued that singing, as well as other musical activities, may have evolved as a mechanism of social bonding [23–25].”

    From The ice-breaker effect: Singing mediates fast social bonding (2015) · cites this paper as [24]

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Authors
Hagen, E. H., & Bryant, G. A.
Affiliations
  • Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
  • University of California, Santa Cruz (US)
Corresponding author
Hagen, Edward H.
ORCID
Venue
Human Nature
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2003-03
Volume
14
Issue
1
Pages
21-51
ISSN
  • 1045-6767 (ISSN-L)
  • 1936-4776
DOI
10.1007/s12110-003-1015-z
OpenAlex
W2038897574
Cited by
469
References
83
Citations by year
2026: 19 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 11
FWCI
9.05
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Human Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • CogPrints (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
Keywords
evolution of music, dance evolution, cooperative alliances, chimpanzees, cultural evolution, human uniqueness

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