From the physical point of view, listening to music through an iPod or mobile phone can bring us closer to others , since it reduces the area that our personal space occupies, that is, the distance we keep between ourselves and others to feel "comfortable". This is clear from according to a recent study by the University of London (United Kingdom) published in the journal PLoS One . To test this, the researchers asked the participants to walk towards an experimenter unknown to them until such time as they felt uncomfortable about the closeness. In another group, it was the experimenter who walked towards the participants and the participants were asked to stop when they considered that he was too close. The test was repeated in absolute silence and listening to music streamed through speakers or the headphones of an mp3 player.
Thus, they verified that music with a positive emotional charge transmitted through the headphones had the curious effect of dwarfing the concept of the subjects of their personal space , in such a way that they let a stranger get much closer than those who listened to it. same music transmitted through speakers.