Low-Frequency Bass Encourages Dancing

A recent research study found that low-frequency bass make people more likely to dance at a live music performance, even if they can’t actually hear the extremely low sounds.

A few dozen attendees at a live music show in Canada got a unique opportunity to dance for science. They were fitted with a headband that monitored their movement during the show while unbeknownst to them, a very low frequency bass sound was switched on and off every few minutes. The sound was so low (between 8 and 37 Hz) that it was inaudible to the human ear. But even though the participants didn’t know about the sound and couldn’t hear it, their headbands recorded more movements when the bass was on.

That could suggest that low frequency sounds encourage people to dance. But the researchers from McMaster University who ran this study don’t yet know how this works. They speculate that the low frequencies are being picked up by other parts of the nervous system even though they’re not actively recognized as sounds. They even did an additional test to confirm that the test subjects really didn’t notice when the low frequency sounds were on or off. Whatever was happening was not using the usual brain pathways through which people process sound.

“Very low frequencies may also affect vestibular sensitivity, adding to people’s experience of movement,” Daniel Cameron, who led the research study, told Cell Press. The vestibular system controls balance through your inner ear, which could explain why the low sounds were linked to movement. Cameron adds that “nailing down the brain mechanisms involved will require looking at the effects of low frequencies on the vestibular, tactile, and auditory pathways.”

The study was carried out at a specially equipped studio for music research. It has 3D motion capture cameras as well as speakers that can output the unusually low frequencies that were used in this study. To make sure the scenario was as realistic as possible, the researchers didn’t use recorded music but hosted a real performance by electronic music duo Orphx.

“The musicians were enthusiastic to participate because of their interest in this idea that bass can change how the music is experienced in a way that impacts movement,” Cameron said.

For the participants in this study it would have been a fun show to attend – and one that just happened to generate interesting research data as well.