The Influence of Group Singing on Trust and Cooperation

This study investigated the effects of two components of group singing—music and activity—on trust and cooperation. Relationships between (a) music and trust and (b) activity and cooperation were predicted. Group singing was expected to yield the highest trust and cooperation scores, indicating interaction effects between music and activity vis-à-vis each of the two dependent variables. The latter were measured with the Giffin-Trust-Differential (trust) and the Prisoner's Dilemma game (cooperation). A 2 × 2 (music/activity × trust/cooperation) factorial design was employed. Four groups (n = 24 each) of adult Israeli males participated in a single session of one of the following activities: group singing (music/activity), listening to music (music/no activity), poetry reading (no music/activity), and film viewing (no music/no activity). Results confirmed the predictions for the effects of music on trust and of activity on cooperation. No interaction effects were found. The discussion focused on implications concerning the use of music interventions in therapy.