Publication
Music production and its role in coalition signaling during foraging contexts in a hunter-gatherer society
For the first time, a group of international and interdisciplinary researchers led by Karline Janmaat and her former MSc Student Chirag Chittar, have tested the several hypotheses on music simultaneously in a modern foraging society during their daily search for tubers – their staple food. They found that women during tuber finding events were more likely to sing in large groups of strangers and less likely to sing in large groups of individuals they were close with.
- Author
- Chirag Rajendra Chittar, Karline R. L. Janmaat e.a.
- Date
- 01 November 2023
- Links
- Frontiers in Psychology
Origins of music
Why is music so prevalent and universal in human societies? Does music serve an adaptive function, or it is just “auditory cheesecake”, as cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker infamously claimed: a delightful dessert but, from an evolutionary perspective, no more than a by-product of language? The debate on the origins of music has intrigued scientists for centuries. The hypotheses range from music being a mating display in order to woo females, to a means to increase social bonding in group contexts. The study was part of an elaborate longitudinal study spanning 2 years and has now been published in the scientific journal, Frontiers in Psychology.
