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Eric Laufer

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Why can humans, without any prior planning, naturally synch in rhythm and music but if you tell a group to all move together, they can't?

As demonstrated by Steven Strogatz on Sync, a group can all clap together and as demonstrated by Bobby McFerrin (as seen here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne6tB2KiZuk) a group can all harmonize, or sync, together naturally without prior planning. I'm confused as to why us humans can sync throughout rhythm and music but if you take a bigger action such as movement they would all follow one person, unlike the birds and fish in the Strogatz's video who move in separate directions but still as one.

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    Jonathan Huffman

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    Mar 17 2011: Because music has a beat, which our minds can predict prior to hearing due to regularity, enabling us to move in synch with the sound. When several people do this at once, there is a perception of unified motion, though in fact each individual is perceiving the music on his own, and would dance in the same motion were he or she alone in the room. Similarly, one can synchronize the movements of a group to a metronome, or the count of a leader (as in a dance class, or a marching army), though neither of these could be classified as music.

    As to the reason why music grips your emotions to the core, and makes you feel the feelings of the composer, though interpreted through your own experience, the fellow who posted below me has explained it quite well.

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