3.11.2023: “What Makes Us Groove?” (Deniz Duman)
In a recent PhD work, MA Deniz Duman from the Ģֱ presented novel findings on the concept of groove, musical features of dance music, and listeners’ groove experiences. The thesis comprises four articles, each contributing a unique perspective to the concept of groove.
Article 1 delves into the conceptual understanding of groove, uncovering how listeners perceive this elusive concept. Article 2 takes us on a journey through the Spotify audio characteristics of groove, exploring the songs that make people move and the reasons behind their choices. Personality traits take the center stage in Article 3, emphasizes the influence of personality traits on the groove experience, challenging the idea of a fixed groove feeling for all. In Article 4, the focus shifts to the brain, as researchers investigate the neural processing of naturalistic groove music, aiming at understanding what happens in our brain while we experience groove.
Why is the concept of groove important?
Beyond its musical significance, groove research has far-reaching implications. The researcher Deniz Duman proposes four types of pleasure associated with groove: music-related pleasure, immersion-related pleasure, movement-related pleasure, and social-related pleasure. These pleasures operate on neurological, psychological, behavioral, and social levels, respectively, and have the potential to improve well-being, aid in therapy, and enhance education.
“Applications of groove research extend to clinical contexts, where it may be used for the rehabilitation of conditions like Parkinson's Disease and in therapies addressing mood-related disorders, such as stress and anxiety. For non-clinical individuals, incorporating groove-related experiences into daily life can promote mindfulness, improve well-being, and foster social bonding. The concept of groove can be implemented in educational settings too, facilitating awareness of body, emotions, and surroundings among students and promoting healthier generations”, she explains.
Finally, she warns that the development of effective applications of groove requires a collaborative effort involving therapists, health practitioners, musicians, teachers, groove researchers, and policy makers.
MA Deniz Duman defends hers doctoral dissertation in Musicology "What makes us groove?" 3.11.2023, Seminaarinmäki S212 at 12:00. Opponent is Dr. Maria Witek (University of Birmingham) and custos is senior researcher Geoffrey Luck (Ģֱ).
The event is held in English.
Permanent link to the dissertatíon:
Short Bio: Deniz Duman is a researcher in Musicology at the Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, Ģֱ, Finland. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Music, Mind and Technology and comes from psychology background.
Her main research interests centre around the concept of groove which has close links with immersion, dance, emotions, interpersonal synchronisation and social connection. She is also interested in origins of music and musical activities, cross-cultural experiences of music and everyday music listening. On her research, she has been using (or planning to use) several methods including (mobile) EEG, motion capture, music information retrieval and qualitative.
