The emotional importance of live experiences
Based at the University of Sussex , Professor John Drury is an experienced social psychologist specialising in crowd behaviour . His recent work includes a DCMScommissioned piece for the Government ’ s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies ( SAGE ) on reopening events with audiences , and crowd safety management advice for festivals including the 115,000-capacity Roskilde . Here he outlines the mental health benefits of being among a crowd at a real-world event .
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have been studying people ’ s behaviour and experiences at crowd events for nearly 30 years . This has included live music events , sporting occasions , religious festivals , rallies and protests , and national ceremonies . These investigations have enabled us to understand the emotional importance of many kinds of live event .
People come to live events because they want to experience them with other people who feel the same way as they do . They put up with all sorts of inconvenience and sacrifices to have this kind of experience – including travelling distances , the financial cost , the time required , queuing , and so on . All this is worth it for the experience that comes from being among like-minded others at a live event you value .
When we ask people about what they enjoy about a live event , they use words like ‘ atmosphere ’, ‘ excitement ’ and ‘ energy ’. They ’ re referring not just to the performers in the music , sports or arts event , but to the emotional and behavioural responses of others in the crowd . They mean that others enjoyed the event and expressed that enjoyment , and that the enjoyment was shared .
Emotions are not just internal states but ways of interacting with others . At
“ Through bringing joy , live events make a vital contribution to both our emotional and economic wellbeing .” the exciting and atmospheric events , people smile at each other , meet each other ’ s eyes , and they cheer , clap or put their hands in the air together at the same points , sharing an understanding of the best moments . They also talk to each other , even if they ’ ve never met each other before . In such an event , interaction with strangers becomes easier and more enjoyable than in everyday life .
We found all these elements and more in our study of the Big Beach Boutique II ; a free concert on Brighton beach in 2002 that was headlined by Fatboy Slim and attended by 250,000 people . The sheer size and scale of the event , the uniqueness of it , added to the sense of occasion . Some described it as the best event of their lives . It was a somewhat chaotic event , though , and some people had negative experiences . The collective behaviour of the event attendees helped avoid what could have been a disaster due to overcrowding . Spontaneous crowd self-regulation included people working together to avoid crushes , to provide people with relative privacy when they needed to go to the toilet , and the calm collective handling of drunk and disorderly behaviour .
As part of my work with event industry professionals on using psychology to enhance crowd safety , I ’ ve also shown how the same principles – as described above – can be used to enhance atmosphere and so add value to your event .
Recent research on live events suggests that there are three key elements to the positive emotional experience that comes from being with like-minded others .
• Validation - seeing others react emotionally the same way as me confirms the validity of my feelings . This is especially important , of course , if those feelings that are not shared or are hidden in everyday life .
• Recognition being seen as one of the group by other ingroup members feels good .
• Support . A consistent finding is that people feel supported by others at events where they share identity with others . This makes them feel safe and secure . There is now extensive evidence showing that groups are good for our mental and physical health . This is not just a matter of lifting people ’ s spirits . The economic costs of mental ill health in England have been estimated at £ 105 billion a year . Through bringing joy , live events make a vital contribution to both our emotional and our economic wellbeing .
Professor John Drury
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