30 To the Tune of Loneliness and Isolation

Music is an important tool when it comes to forming or connecting with communities. It decreases social isolation and feelings of loneliness as well as improving physical and mental health.

This essay was composed in December 2024 and uses APA documentation.

As a population, we’re reaching a bit of a social crisis point. People are more isolated than they’ve ever been, and feelings of loneliness have skyrocketed (Office of the Surgeon General, 2023). There are a lot of reasons for this, and all of them are necessary to address. Some of these crisis points could be happening due to: effects of social media on the human psyche, social and political polarization, and general social attitudes we’ve been adopting over time. All of these subjects are important to tackle, and unfortunately, so few of them are directly within our individual control. One of the most important ways we can combat our loneliness and isolation is by forming bonds within our communities. For many people, that involves music—listening to music, creating music, and forming communities (and sometimes entire subcultures) around music. Few things are as ubiquitous in human culture as music. It’s incredibly important to people, not only because it improves physical and mental health, but also because it decreases loneliness, improves social connection, and gives people something to identify with enough that communities form around it. There are a lot of reasons that people love music as much as they do, and it may be an option people can utilize to feel more connected to others in their communities.

Music can play a critical role in boosting people’s physical and mental health. For example, music therapy has been shown to decrease symptoms of physical ailments such as pain, nausea, and vomiting, as well as symptoms of mental illness such as anxiety and depression (Kurt & Alphar, 2021). Music works well in therapy settings because it increases feelings of relaxation and helps people feel comfortable. And music isn’t only helpful when other people write it; creating music, particularly in a community setting, increases feelings of self-confidence and capability. In a study conducted by Francesca Caló, Artur Steiner, Stephen Millar, and Simon Teasdale (2020), it was apparent that “…community-based music interventions can have an impact on [self-confidence], … triggered by the achievement of trust and connectedness, and reinforced by the music space” (p. 996). Improved mental health and self-confidence, particularly in a safe place, means people are better able to connect with those around them. This, in turn, improves mental health, as social connectedness is closely associated with better mental health. Music provides a sort of noncorporeal space for people to feel safe and comfortable with each other. It’s a common ground upon which people can build trust and relationships. It follows, then, that music is a great tool to use to decrease loneliness and improve social connectedness.

Whether it’s making music, listening to music, or going to a concert/music festival, music helps to connect people and reduce feelings of isolation. In fact, the amount that people are affected by music (called “musical reactivity”) is closely linked to group processes, such as in-group connection, out-group bias, and sense of belonging and positivity towards group members (Suttie, 2016). This is something that’s easy to observe in certain music scenes. Concerts are an apparent example. Concert-goers are always excited to meet and connect with people who like the same music or artists as them. A study conducted in 2013 showed that social connectedness was the second most common reason that people gave for listening to music (Schäfer et al.). Find any music scene, and this social connection will become apparent.

Concerts, music festivals, and clubs—music is an easy way for people to connect with each other. One common interest can help people engage with each other, and these engagements can bring about lifelong relationships. It’s easier to form bonds when you already have something in common that gets you to leave the house and talk to people. And the “leaving-the-house” aspect is important when it comes to increasing social connectedness. In a study conducted to discover the differences between live and livestreamed concert outcomes, “…the live audience reported more connectedness toward other audience members than the livestreaming audience” (Swarbrick & Vuoskoski, 2023). However, despite the difference in audience connectedness, the connectedness that each audience felt to the performers was very similar. Even remotely, music was able to make people feel connected. Concerts are a powerful social tool. They establish a common ground upon which concert-goers can build the foundations of a relationship.

Experiencing something so compelling as a group creates a feeling of commonality that is difficult to break. Even learning that someone attended the same concert as you after it already happened can establish a sort of link of common understanding between each other. Music is so good at creating community, in fact, that entire subcultures form around it.

Many different types of subcultures exist because they form around all kinds of things including, style, politics, media, beliefs, music, or any combination of these (as well as many others). In regards to music specifically, subcultures around it can range from punk to goth to emo to metalhead to scene to rave to grunge, and on and on (refer to “difference between alternative subcultures”). People who identify with these subcultures tend to adopt common practices, values, and habits that pertain to whichever subculture they most closely associate with. Subcultures create meaning for those who take part in them, and this meaning turns into “transformative experiences” and self-expression for the participants (Ulusoy, 2016). Important aspects of subcultures can include style, politics and beliefs, attending concerts or local shows, the way people behave in their music scene, interior design (posters, etc.), and so on. Style in particular is closely related to musical preferences (Na & Agnhage, 2013). The way people identify and the types of aesthetic decisions they make are directly influenced by music.

Admittedly, not everything is idealistic in every music scene. As mentioned previously, music can reinforce group processes. This includes out-group bias, or anything that may be perceived as “threatening” to the group (Suttie, 2016). Unfortunately, “posers” are often perceived as a threat to specific musical subcultures. The term “poser” is extraordinarily broad, and is generally used to describe people who don’t meet the subculture’s expectations. When someone is regarded as a poser, the gatekeeping begins. This can occur when someone doesn’t “look the part”, isn’t involved in their local music scene, doesn’t attend concerts, or isn’t as familiar with a particular subculture’s music as others may be (which usually includes knowing more niche bands or songs). Gatekeeping can lead to resentment from groups outside a particular subculture, or fewer people identifying with a subculture and taking part in the scene for fear of being seen as a poser. Many music-based subcultures have been on the decline, due in part to a widespread instance of the “No True Scotsman” fallacy. Fortunately, many people in their various subcultures have taken note of this occurrence and are working to combat it. After all, many of the reasons for gatekeeping listed above can’t always be helped. People may just be getting into a subculture, and thus don’t know much of the music. They may not identify with the style but appreciate the music and identify with the culture or they may not have the socioeconomic means to attend concerts. All gatekeeping does is drive people away from a community that could be a beautiful means of self-expression for them.

Music is an important tool when it comes to forming or connecting with communities. It decreases social isolation and feelings of loneliness as well as improving physical and mental health. This has a positive cyclical effect in which people feel better as individuals, which spurs their involvement in community, which continues to improve their individual physical and mental health. Music provides an immaterial place for people to connect and grow. It forms subcultures, induces transformative experiences, and encourages radical self-expression. If ever there was a time that we needed such a powerful aid, it’s now, when loneliness and isolation are at an all-time high. Music is a promising avenue to get us out of the house, get us talking, and help us form bonds with each other that can last a lifetime.

References

Caló, F., Steiner, A., Millar, S., & Teasdale, S. (2020). The impact of a community-based music intervention on the health and well-being of young people: A realist evaluation. Health and Social Care in the Community, 28(3), 988-998. https://research-ebsco-com.dist.lib.usu.edu/c/gla6va/viewer/pdf/4vcgnnemun.

Kurt, D. & Alphar, S.E. (2021). The effect of music therapy on the sense of loneliness of elderly living in nursing homes. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 14(2), 930-937. https://research-ebsco-com.dist.lib.usu.edu/c/gla6va/viewer/pdf/ompim7ac5v?auth-callid=2410492e-1a26-4652-8514-6d89248a05ee.

Chrissy [L0n3ly_m00nZ]. (2024). Difference between alternative subcultures [Pinterest post]. Retrieved December 2024, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/353391902028823321/.

Na, Y. & Agnhage, T. (2013). Relationship between the preference styles of music and fashion and the similarity of their sensibility. International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, 25(2). 109-118. https://doi.org/10.1108/09556221311298600.

Office of the Surgeon General. (2023). Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf.

Schäfer, T., Sedlmeier, P., Städtler, C., & Huron, D. (2013). The psychological functions of music listening. Frontiers in psychology, 4, 511. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3741536/.

Suttie, J. (2016, June 28). How music bonds us together. Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_music_bonds_us_together.

Swarbrick, D. & Vuoskoski, J. K. (2023). Collectively Classical: Connectedness, Awe, Feeling Moved, and Motion at a Live and Livestreamed Concert. Music & Science, 6. 1-24. DOI: 10.1177/20592043231207595.

Ulusoy, E. (2016). Subcultural escapades via music consumption: Identity transformations and extraordinary experiences in Dionysian music subcultures. Journal of Business Research, 69(1), 244-254. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0148296315003288.