Healing House? The Relationship Between Participation in Electronic Dance Music Events and Well-being

This PhD project aims to research the relation between participation in electronic dance music (EDM) events and well-being. Although there is a large body of academic evidence that activity in music and dance can increase people’s well-being, the field of EDM has largely been neglected. Despite the massive growth of EDM event attendance in the past decades, insights on how participation in clubs, festivals and parties contributes to – or decreases - well-being among visitors are scarce. Still, numerous researchers have highlighted (mostly positive) aspects of well-being associated with EDM event participation. Beneficial features have been found for vitality, sociality, identity, and transformation, whereas other studies focus on health risks and social exclusion. In my research, I incorporate various measures for well-being, both enhancing and diminishing, in relation to EDM event participation.