Musik induziert soziale Vorstellungskraft, indem sie Gedanken über Verbindung, Wärme und Kameradschaft auslöst

>A new study led by Dr Steffen A. Herff, cognitive neuroscientist at Sydney, Music, Mind and Body Lab at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has shown for the first time empirically that music can indeed keep you company by facilitating imagined social interactions.  
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>“Music appears to act as a catalyst for social imagination,” Dr Herff said. “**Even without words or voices**, it can trigger thoughts of connection, warmth and companionship.”

>Participants were asked to close their eyes and imagine journeys towards topographical landmarks, such as a mountain. They did this either in silence or while listening to music. After each imagined journey, they provided responses and detailed accounts of what they imagined.
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>The researchers used computational models to identify common themes in these descriptions and found that music consistently inspired thoughts of social connection such as spending time with others.  
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>This effect appeared across different songs and even when lyrics or vocals were removed, showing that the feeling of companionship came from the music itself, not just the words. The team also used Generative AI to create visual representations of what people imagined. Such representations are very useful as they allow us to do follow-up studies.
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> The study found that compared to silence, when participants listened to music, their imaginations sparked and they described vivid imaginary social scenes, such as dancing and laughing with other people.

[Solitary silence and social sounds: music can influence mental imagery, inducing thoughts of social interactions | Scientific Reports](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-10309-2)