Three evolutionary functions of human music: predator defense, obtaining food, preparation for war

Social nature of music is gradually becoming a strong scholarly consensus. In this line of thought, I want to continue discussion of the evolutionary mechanisms of several concrete functions of the human musicality. In my theoretical work on the origins and evolution of music, I have argued that music’s primary evolutionary functions were deeply connected to survival. Among the most important of these functions were (1) predator defense, (2) obtaining food, and (3) preparation for war. The discussion of these three functions of music is at the centre of this article. I propose that early forms of music, rhythmic vocalizations, coordinated chanting, and group-produced sound, emerged as adaptive behaviors that enhanced group cohesion and collective action in high-risk environment of African savannah. In predator defense, loud, synchronized vocal displays may have functioned as acoustic signals of group strength, deterring predators through intimidation and confusion. Also, coordinated sound-making could facilitate the aggressive scavenging scenario of obtaining food through displacement of the major predators from their kills. Finally, in preparation for war, music likely played (and still plays) a crucial role in increasing the chances of surviving (and winning) a battle by inducing emotional synchronization, reducing fear, and generating what may be termed a ‘battle trance,’ a specific altered state of consciousness enabling individual combatants to act as a unified collective.