The Enactive Body in Song, an Insight into the Nature of Risk – Free Online Workshops
Registrations close 28 August
One of my habits is listening to music before going to bed. The power of music and song is simply amazing, and 30 minutes before sleep can be so powerful in settling to sleep, dream and relax.
We know that music changes our heart rate, breathing and blood pressure as it’s rhythms, language, sounds, metaphors and images permeate our nervous system. Music doesn’t just go through the ears to the brain but rather is carried via the Vegas Nerve activating the parasympathetic system automatically (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3011183/). When we listen to music and song, we also hear music through our skin and body in such a way that even the need to dance and move is automatic. This automaticity to move also is accompanied by changes in emotions and feelings well before the brain processes what the body is doing.
We know from the research that our ears, nose and throat are all connected and that sound is converted to electrical signals as it hits the small hairs and bones in the ear. These signals are split to send ‘messages’ to the body and brain. Music and song are not just received as sounds and interpreted as brain computation. Music and song demonstrate the enactive nature of life (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4375918/). Indeed, much of music therapy relies on the embodied nature of human ‘being’ (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08098131.2023.2268707). Music cognition shows that our whole body resonates with music (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266558227_Music_Meaning_and_the_Embodied_Mind_Towards_an_Enactive_Approach_to_Music_Cognition).
We also know that music, sound and song change body chemistry, altering dopamine, oxytocin and cortisol levels in the body.
All of this demonstrates that music, song and sound is: inter-affected, inter-subjective, inter-corporeal and inter-connected in all we do. You can observe this at any concert or show where people move together to the power of sound, music and song.
When we study Enactivism in SPoR, we often share a song or music that we each find profound and life changing. We each can connect a song with a life changing moment or experience that means something special to us, yet not others.
In this activity, we know we can hear a song and tears well up in our eyes, our skin tingles and our heart rate changes, showing us that our emotions and feelings are beyond our rational control.
In SPoR, we also study the 1B3M concept (https://safetyrisk.net/one-brain-three-minds-and-perception/) to help us understand the nature of human decision making.
Human decision making is NOT just ‘brain work’. 95% of human decision making is enactive.
It is a shame that Oliver Sacks in his book Musicophilia frames his understanding of music through brain-centrism (https://archive.org/details/musicophiliatale0000sack_u9u5).
It is this kind of language framing that drives people to see the world through the idea that the brain is a directing deciding organ, it is not. The same bias in interpretation is common in risk and safety.
The trouble is, such an interpretation changes the way we think about tackling risk and the way people make decisions in risk.
Just as music affects the body (https://voices.no/index.php/voices/article/view/2308/2063) so too does Socialitie. All our senses work similar to the ears, taking signals throughout the body as well as to the brain. All of our bodily systems (nervous, endocrine, respiratory, integumentary (skin), muscular, digestive, cardiovascular, reproductive, cellular, urinary, feeling/emotional and skeletal systems) work this way.
Sometimes before sleep, I will listen to one of the many music resources on ABC radio (https://www.abc.net.au/listen/listenapp/calm-and-relax/103187244). It helps still my mind. By Mind I don’t mean brain but rather my whole person as embodied.
When we think this way, and get away from the metaphor of brain-as-computer, we move away from computational thinking to Enactive thinking (https://safetyrisk.net/the-enactive-mind-in-risk-free-online-workshops/). In Enactive thinking (https://safetyrisk.net/enactive-thinking-in-performance-as-meeting-free-workshops/), we see the world differently and, why people do as they do. It changes the whole way we understand performance and how we engage others as persons.
If you want to know more about Enactivism and the Embodied Mind, you can start researching here: https://direct.mit.edu/books/monograph/3956/The-Embodied-MindCognitive-Science-and-Human or:
You can join us for the four free online workshops run on 8, 15, 22, 29 September 9am Canberra time with Prof. Rob Long, register here: admin@spor.com.au
Prof. Robert Long
Latest posts by Prof. Robert Long (see all)
- Embouchure, Affordance and Learning in Risk - September 8, 2026
- Following-Leading in Risk, Supplement. Free Download - September 7, 2026
- Safety Culture and the Culture of Safety - September 6, 2026
- Safety, Creating Order Out of Disorder - September 4, 2026
- The Meaning of Risk - September 4, 2026