Bronwyn Tarr: "Mechanisms of Social Bonding: Dance and the Synchrony Effect"

Bronwyn Tarr has a varied academic background, from the natural and environmental sciences, to anthropology and psychology (BSc(hons) Evolutionary Biology, Zoology - University of Cape Town, MSc Environmental Change and Management – Oxford, and a DPhil in Experimental Psychology - Oxford). Her recent research combines her passion for dance and music with her curiosity about human nature and evolution of social behaviours. She is interested in why humans have such a longstanding love-affair with music, and the nuts and bolts behind the social benefits of taking part in musical activities. Working with people in Brazil, Oxford and Barcelona, she has researched how dancing in synchrony acts as a social glue, causing the release of endorphins and the experience of a collective ‘high’. Passionate about science communication and a believer in Open Science, Bronwyn has delivered a number of interactive public talks, spoken on radio, podcasts and television, and written popular science articles on her research. She is currently a Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study Toulouse, and an associate and lecturer in ICEA.

Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study Toulouse, and Associate Researcher and Lecturer in ICEA, Oxford University.