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SUMMARY:The social cognition of applause in classical concert audiences - 
 Niels Christian Hansen (Royal Academy of Music Aarhus\, Denmark and Univer
 sity of Jyväskylä\, Finland)
DTSTART:20250610T160000Z
DTEND:20250610T170000Z
UID:TALK231793@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:125293
DESCRIPTION:*Abstract*\n\nApplause gestures - such as clapping\, standing 
 ovations\, and loud vocalizations - are ubiquitous in Western concert cult
 ure. Perhaps so much so that we sometimes forget to question these strange
 \, ritualistic displays of enthusiasm occurring in response to demonstrati
 ons of impressive skills during large social gatherings. Even so\, not eve
 ry applause is the same. Rich anecdotes describe how different folks have 
 expressed their enthusiasm in multifaceted ways during different historica
 l times and different cultural contexts. So why do people clap in the firs
 t place? And which cultural beliefs and social dynamics underlie the vast 
 diversity of human applause behaviours? In this talk\, I will present plan
 s for a large-scale research project funded to tackle these questions in c
 ollaboration with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra during 2025–2029. I will als
 o share some new insights from a cross-cultural survey study showing intri
 guing contrasts in the applause habits of symphonic concert audiences in N
 orthern and Southern Europe.\n\n*Biography*\n\nNiels Chr. Hansen is an Ass
 ociate Professor of Music Theory\, History\, and Analysis at The Royal Aca
 demy of Music Aarhus (Denmark) where he directs the newly founded Cognitiv
 e Musicology and Performance Science Lab (CoMPS). He currently serves as V
 ice-President of European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESC
 OM)\, Editor-in-Chief of Empirical Musicology Review\, and co-founder of t
 he global MUSICOVID research network. His team’s ongoing research projec
 ts include “PLAY: Timbral Diversification for Personalised Learning in A
 ural Skills Pedagogy” and “CLAPS: Collective Applause in the Symphonic
  Concert Hall.” This summer he will finalize a 2-year postdoctoral fello
 wship at Centre of Excellence in Music\, Mind\, Body\, & Brain\, Universit
 y of Jyväskylä (Finland)\, where he investigated the role of music in co
 ping during times of personal and societal crisis.\n\n*Zoom link*\n\nhttps
 ://zoom.us/j/99433440421?pwd=ZWxCQXFZclRtbjNXa0s2K1Q2REVPZz09 (Meeting ID:
  994 3344 0421\; Passcode: 714277)
LOCATION:CMS computer room\, Faculty of Music (11 West Road\, Cambridge\, 
 CB3 9DP)
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