“Frisson and Fire: The Power of Music to Move Us” Antara Sen
Antara Sen explores the science and emotion behind music’s power to move us, from frisson to collective effervescence at live concerts.
New Delhi [India], July 9: I recently came across the word ‘Frisson’ in the context of music. It refers to the physical sensation of a shiver or goosebumps accompanied by a strong emotional response, triggered by a particularly moving or captivating musical passage. I hadn’t realized that this feeling required a distinction apart from being human; that everyone didn’t get teary eyed at the sound of specific chord progressions or deeply personal lyrics. Google to the rescue and I am informed that only a percentage of people respond physiologically to the stimulus of music.
On 17th May, in Mahalaxmi Racecourse, twenty-six thousand people experienced collective frisson in sweaty, nostalgic abandon at the Guns n Roses concert. It had rained earlier that day, offering some respite from Mumbai’s oppressive heat. The air felt markedly different, charged with humidity and excitement, as fans from across India, wearing Guns and Roses t shirts, started to pour into the grounds. Conversations whirled around us as we waited in queue. Strangers who hadn’t met before then, exchanged stories of how their trains or buses were filled with concert goers; of which hotels they were staying at and which songs they hoped the band would play. Everyone was beaming, bound by contagious anticipation.
Concerts or any festival or celebratory gathering highlight the primal need of humans to partake in collective joy; to be a part of a voice bigger than ourselves There are forces at work in such gatherings that can’t be captured in any selfie or Instagram reel. These forces lift the boundaries we have drawn around our lives and usher us into one big community tethered by exultation and human connection.
