Groove Rhythm Is Good for Your Mind

Recently, I happened to stumble upon a popular dance competition show. I hadn't been following the series, so I was unaware of the specialties of the dancers. They were down to six dancers who were required to go head-to-head to move on to the semi-finals. As I watched the dance battles, I noticed how the different musical choices had a different impact on how much I enjoyed the various dancers' performances. Some had musical accompaniment that made me want to dance along with them, or at the very least sway, snap my fingers, or move my head.

This, according to Japanese researchers, reflects that some of the dancers were accompanied by music that had greater groove rhythm (GR) that a sensation within me. Viewing the dance performances with their accompanying musical groove rhythms seemed to help me achieve a clearer mind for beginning this piece. According to the research, this is likely because groove rhythm can enhance cognitive performance (Takemune, Kazuya, Satoshi, Takeshi, Genta, Ryuta, Yosuke & Hideaki, 2022). I had no idea that positive emotional response to groove rhythm and its groove sensation could influence my brain to cognitively focus on a task at hand.

Studying the Effect of Groove Rhythm

Takemune et al, 2022 designed an experiment to test whether groove rhythm (GR) could enhance executive function (EF) an activity requiring the use of the left side of the dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex (L-DLPFC). GR was created using drum breaks with low to medium syncopation. Syncopation is a technical method used to shift the rhythm of beats by manipulating the complexity of the rhythm. Researchers reported that this can have a rewarding/pleasurable effect by stimulating the brain's reward system. Generally, our brains like novelty, to avoid boredom. Syncopation provides unexpected shifts in rhythm to foster, in some individuals, feelings of having fun or being excited.

One Groove Doesn't Necessarily Fit All

The researchers also focused on individual differences occurring in participants' psychological responses to GR. Although music in some form or another is a cultural universal, individuals may psychologically respond differently to a particular groove rhythm based on culture. In addition to culture, the researchers also noted that individual differences in psychological responses might stem from musical training experience, music reward sensitivity, beat processing ability, familiarity with groove music/dance, and body morphology.

Feeling Clear-Headed

Based on the 58 young adults studied in their experiment, the researchers found support for their hypothesis that the Color-Word Matching Stroop Task (CWST) performance was enhanced in the groove rhythm condition, compared to young adults who didn't experience the groove rhythm. Participants reported groove sensation effects of "wanting to move to the music," "feeling like my body is resonating with the rhythm," and "excited." Their psychological responses to listening to groove rhythm was stated as "feeling clear-headed."

The CWST was given to the participants before and after they listened to GR; during the CWST, participants' dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity was monitored by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Increased executive function and activity in the L-DLPFC can be quite remarkable in persons showing higher groove sensation and clear-headedness.

So, the next time you're feeling music that is making you want to move, know that your brain is getting rewarded. It might be a good time to take advantage of feelings of being clear-headed. Begin mentally working on something like writing a paper, having a deep dialogue, or even beginning a new blog entry.