ABSTRACT
I MAGINE several married couples at a dance. During one dance the couples all exchange partners. This is perfectly fine, as long as the music is playing. It immediately becomes socially unacceptable, however, if the new partners stay intertwined in each other’s arms after the music stops. Eighty thousand people in a football stadium rise as the band prepares to play the Star Spangled Banner. Regardless of their socioeconomic status, religious preferences, or the team they are there to root for, fans are united as Americans, at least for the duration of the music. Schoolgirls on the playground chant in a sing-song fashion as some twirl the ropes and others wait in line for their turn to jump. The music coordinates the timing of their actions. These three examples exemplify how music influences social behaviors in powerful ways.
