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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Performance Science
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1431952

Exploratory Study to Examine the Neuroendcocrinological changes in Typically Developing Adults During a Musicrelated Participatory Practice Using Computer Software

Provisionally accepted
Yosuke Sugiyama Yosuke Sugiyama 1Sanae TANAKA Sanae TANAKA 2Aiko Komagome Aiko Komagome 1Teruko Yuhi Teruko Yuhi 2Kazumi Furuhara Kazumi Furuhara 2Haruhiro Higashida Haruhiro Higashida 2Takahiro Tsuji Takahiro Tsuji 2Mitsuru Kikuchi Mitsuru Kikuchi 2Chiharu Tsuji Chiharu Tsuji 2*
  • 1 Tokyo University of the Arts, Taitō, Tōkyō, Japan
  • 2 Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    There has been a growing recognition of the benefits of participating in art practices for promoting well-being and social connection. Despite this, only a limited number of studies have assessed the neuroendocrinological changes that might contribute to these benefits. In this exploratory study, we focused on a creative activity related to music composition using digital tools. The emergence of computer software to create music (CSCM) has lowered the barriers to musical technical skills and theory, making music composition more accessible. We examined whether incorporating CSCM into a musicmaking workshop would affect the levels of two hormones, oxytocin and cortisol, among healthy adults. These two hormones were chosen, because oxytocin is involved in prosocial behavior and bonding, while cortisol plays a role in the stress response.Considering the time it takes to learn and adapt to a typical customized CSCM, we simplified its use to allow participants to experience music-making within a short timeframe and set up two distinct workshops. One was individual music creation with the support of a facilitator (Dyad) and the other was music creation in a group (Group).Participants in the Dyad workshops showed increased oxytocin levels, whereas those in the Group workshops did not. Cortisol levels remained unchanged during the Dyad workshops, but decreased in the Group ones. These results suggest that neuroendocrinological changes may occur during music-making activities using computer software. This work highlights the potential value of CSCM-incorporated music-making activities, although further controlled studies are required to confirm these findings.

    Keywords: Oxytocin, cortisol, group activity, workshop, stress, Music, Computer music, Saliva

    Received: 15 May 2024; Accepted: 26 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Sugiyama, TANAKA, Komagome, Yuhi, Furuhara, Higashida, Tsuji, Kikuchi and Tsuji. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Chiharu Tsuji, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.