This is Your Brain on Protest Songs
Chris Garlock | Published on 9/9/2025
By Sarah Hays Coomer
“This is Los Angeles, ah-ooo, ah-ooo, ah-ooo!” Throngs of Los Angeles Football Club fans chant in protest of ICE raids on schools and businesses. Across town, in a city park framed by purple Jacaranda trees, demonstrators wielding maracas, bongos, and acoustic guitars launch into a boisterous group singalong, arms raised, belting, “No, I won’t be afraid, just as long as you stand, stand by me.” Protest songs aren’t merely sources of solace or quaint diversions echoing the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Coming together in song engenders a sense of collective power with ancient, biological roots. New research shows making music—especially in unison with others—creates substantial, physiological benefits by synchronizing our brains and bodies to facilitate collaboration and establish a sense of belonging. Read more here.
Image by Chris Alo, Pexels