Drummers, you know the feeling. You’re halfway through band practice and suddenly the tune just comes together perfectly. Or you’re on stage, and the audience cheers you on as you crush that killer drum solo you practiced for months beforehand. You feel… exhilarated. Excited. Like you just downed a 5-hour Energy and ran a marathon. Forget “runner’s high,” you think; this is drummer’s high!
Believe it or not, a new study has now found that this “drummer’s high” really is a thing. Similar to the endorphin kick that athletes experience, psychologists discovered that active performance in music in a group setting increased subjects’ pain threshold and overall positive feelings.
The reason? University of Oxford psychologist Robin Dunbar suggests that the results demonstrate music’s evolutionary role of strengthening social bonds in a community. So even though the study focused on drumming, dancing and singing, playing music in any form would likely have the same effect. You can read a summary of the study here.
The study also concluded that the key is the active participation; subjects who simply listened to music didn’t experience the same results. So what’s the takeaway here? If you want that extra dose of endorphins, don’t skip out on band practice this week!
Readers, what do you think of this study? Have you ever felt that rush of exhilaration after performing? Tell us your story – leave a comment below, or head on over to our Facebook page to join the community!
– Suzy S., TakeLessons staff member and blogger
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Photo by Hamad AL-Mohannna
Suzy S.