Karmactive Team
New research shows music can trigger social thoughts and feelings of companionship, even when you listen alone. Scientists at the University of Sydney found that music makes people imagine social scenes like dancing and laughing with others. “Music appears to act as a catalyst for social imagination,” said Dr. Steffen A. Herff, who led the four-year study at Sydney’s Music, Mind and Body Lab. “Even without words or voices, it can trigger thoughts of connection, warmth and companionship.”
The research, published in Scientific Reports, involved 600 participants who were asked to close their eyes and imagine a journey toward a landmark. Some did this in silence, while others listened to folk music from Italy, Spain, or Sweden. When participants heard music, they described more vivid mental pictures that included social interactions. This happened whether or not the music had lyrics, and even when listeners didn’t understand the language being sung.
“What’s significant is that the instrumental music alone increased social imagination,” Dr. Herff explained. “The voice or lyrics aren’t necessary to create this effect.” The research team used computer analysis to identify themes in participants’ stories. They applied natural language processing and topic‑modeling methods to detect patterns, finding that music consistently boosted social content in people’s mental imagery compared to silence.
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In a second experiment, researchers created AI-generated images based on participants’ descriptions. New participants were then asked to identify which images came from music-inspired or silence-inspired stories. They succeeded only when doing the task while listening to music themselves. “This tells us that there is a ‘theory of mind’ when it comes to music-evoked mental imagery,” said Dr. Herff. “People can imagine what others might be imagining while listening to music, which is fascinating.”
The findings suggest music could help people feeling isolated or lonely by stimulating social thoughts. It might also enhance therapy techniques that use guided mental imagery, such as certain forms of cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, or PTSD treatment. Previous studies have shown that music often triggers mental imagery during everyday listening. About 77% of online listeners, 73% of laboratory participants, and 83% of concert-goers report experiencing mental imagery while hearing music.
The Sydney team has made their dataset publicly available, including over 4,000 imagined journeys with sentiment ratings and topic measurements, which other researchers can use for future studies. The researchers note some limitations in their work. They primarily used folk music from European traditions and suggest testing other musical styles, particularly non-Western genres, to see if the effects apply across different cultures and contexts.
This study marks the first time scientists have shown empirical evidence that music can function as a form of “company” by triggering imagined social interactions. The researchers received funding from the Australian Research Council, Sydney Horizon Fellowship, and Swiss National Foundation. For people who spend time alone, these findings suggest putting on music—with or without lyrics—might provide more than just a pleasant soundtrack. It could create a sense of social connection through the power of imagination.
