Researchers Map How the Brain Responds to Live Performance
A collaboration between neuroscience and the drama department yields surprising findings
A team from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, working with theatre practitioners, has published findings showing that audiences' heart rates and neural activity synchronise during live performance in ways not seen with recorded media.
The study used wearable sensors across 200 audience members over a season of productions. The researchers suggest the results have implications for arts funding, mental-health interventions, and how we understand collective attention.