Ever been at a club or a concert and felt you were dancing in a sea of like-minded people? You were right according to a recent study on music and its effect on our minds and emotions.

Researchers with the University of Singapore have determined that rhythmic sound "not only coordinates the behavior of people in a group, it also coordinates their thinking--the mental processes of individuals in the group become synchronized."

They were surprised to also find that when images appeared before subjects in rhythm with a four-count measure, their brains perceived the image to be larger than if the image appeared out of sync with the beat or in silence.

The implications for music in advertising are profound: real proof that when music appears in sync with a product's image, it appears larger in the audience's mind than if out of sync or worse: with no music at all.

And what about duration of rhythm? Doesn't matter, according to the study's leader, psychologist Annett Schirmer: "Within a few measures of music your brain waves start to get in synch with the rhythm." Meaning even a five-second ad appears stronger in the mind's eye with music than without for every person who watches the ad.

At last: solid scientific evidence that composers (and video editors) are worth their weight in gold.

Learn More @ Scientific American...