The Psychological Effects of Music and Dance on Building a Culture of Peace

A culture of peace is expressed as a set of values, attitudes, and modes of behavior based on nonviolence and respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of people. Based on an experimental design, this research seeks to analyze the effect of music and dance stimuli related to the Andean social group on intergroup empathy, social dominance, stereotypes, emotions, and attitudes toward Andean music. A total of 88 adults (M = 21.24, SD = 1.84) randomly assigned to one of three established experimental conditions (control, music, and dance groups) participated in the study. The results show that, in general, exposure to music and dance improves levels of intergroup empathy, reduces social dominance, and fosters a greater positive stereotype toward the Andean social group, producing greater emotions and positive attitudes toward the artistic expressions of this group in comparison to the control group. It is concluded that music and dance, as cultural expressions, can be elements that help improve the stereotypical representation and appreciation of other groups and their members, thus establishing a path toward building a culture of peace.