{"id":{"repo_id":"buffalo","oai_identifier":"oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/84053"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/buffalo/oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/84053","repository":{"repo_id":"buffalo","name":"Buffalo","base_url":"https://ubir.buffalo.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The Sound of Music: How Music Can Function as a Social Surrogate to Buffer Against the Negative Effects of Social Threats","abstract":"Ph.D.","abstract_html":"Ph.D.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Paravati, Elaine; 0000-0001-7924-534X"],"institution":"State University of New York at Buffalo","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Gabriel, Shira","Psychology"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-06-21T15:47:26Z","date_published":"2022-06-21T15:47:26Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:30Z","subjects":["social psychology"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10477/84053","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Gabriel, Shira","Psychology"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Paravati, Elaine; 0000-0001-7924-534X"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2022-06-21T15:47:26Z","2020"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["State University of New York at Buffalo"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["social psychology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/84053"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Ph.D.","Social need fulfillment is imperative to well-being (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Lieberman, 2013; Williams, 2007), and individuals are therefore highly motivated to ensure their social needs are satiated. The social surrogacy hypothesis proposes that individuals may use nonhuman social targets, including celebrities, television characters, or comfort foods, to fulfill these needs (Derrick, 2012; Derrick, Gabriel, & Hugenberg, 2009; Gabriel et al., 2017; Gabriel, Valenti, & Young, 2016; Hartmann, 2016; Troisi & Gabriel, 2011). This hypothesis has yet to be experimentally extended to the domain of music; no work has tested if music can function as a social surrogate and buffer against the negative effects of social threats. However, some work has suggested that music could function as a social surrogate; previous research has demonstrated that listening to favorite music is effective in reducing loneliness (Derrick, Gabriel, & Hugenberg, 2009; Pilot 1). Thus, it could be the case that music can function as a social surrogate. The current work sought to examine social surrogacy in the domain of music and make both theoretical and experimental advances in this area. Study 1 aimed to clarify the theoretical mechanisms by which individuals may reap the benefits of music as a social surrogate. This study provided evidence for multiple subtypes of social surrogacy (parasocial relationship, reminders of others, immersion into the world of the music) as they relate to music, but suggested that immersion into the world of the music may be the most effective theoretical mechanism for describing music as a social surrogate. Study 2 aimed to use an experimental design to demonstrate that music increases accessibility of social constructs. Participants completed a writing prompt about their favorite music (vs control music, or an academic control) and then completed a word completion task and measures of their mood. This study did not lead to the anticipated pattern of results; overall, no significant differences emerged between conditions. Instead, the results of this study raised important concerns regarding the effectiveness of the writing prompts to be addressed in future studies. Study 3 used an experimental design to test if music could serve as an effective buffer against the negative effects of social threats. Participants either completed a writing prompt meant to elicit social needs or a control prompt (both from Pilot 2). Next, they completed a writing prompt about their favorite music or control music (using the same writing prompts from Study 2). Finally, they completed measures of mood, rejection, and loneliness. Similar to Study 2, no significant pattern emerged between conditions in Study 3, which raised concerns about the writing prompts that will be addressed in future studies. Taken together, this work helped to establish a theoretical background for music in the context of the social surrogacy hypothesis, provided some evidence that music can function as a social surrogate, and revealed limitations that will be addressed in future work.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Sound of Music: How Music Can Function as a Social Surrogate to Buffer Against the Negative Effects of Social Threats"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Gabriel, Shira","Psychology"],"dc:creator":["Paravati, Elaine; 0000-0001-7924-534X"],"dc:date":["2022-06-21T15:47:26Z","2020"],"dc:description":["Ph.D.","Social need fulfillment is imperative to well-being (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Lieberman, 2013; Williams, 2007), and individuals are therefore highly motivated to ensure their social needs are satiated. The social surrogacy hypothesis proposes that individuals may use nonhuman social targets, including celebrities, television characters, or comfort foods, to fulfill these needs (Derrick, 2012; Derrick, Gabriel, & Hugenberg, 2009; Gabriel et al., 2017; Gabriel, Valenti, & Young, 2016; Hartmann, 2016; Troisi & Gabriel, 2011). This hypothesis has yet to be experimentally extended to the domain of music; no work has tested if music can function as a social surrogate and buffer against the negative effects of social threats. However, some work has suggested that music could function as a social surrogate; previous research has demonstrated that listening to favorite music is effective in reducing loneliness (Derrick, Gabriel, & Hugenberg, 2009; Pilot 1). Thus, it could be the case that music can function as a social surrogate. The current work sought to examine social surrogacy in the domain of music and make both theoretical and experimental advances in this area. Study 1 aimed to clarify the theoretical mechanisms by which individuals may reap the benefits of music as a social surrogate. This study provided evidence for multiple subtypes of social surrogacy (parasocial relationship, reminders of others, immersion into the world of the music) as they relate to music, but suggested that immersion into the world of the music may be the most effective theoretical mechanism for describing music as a social surrogate. Study 2 aimed to use an experimental design to demonstrate that music increases accessibility of social constructs. Participants completed a writing prompt about their favorite music (vs control music, or an academic control) and then completed a word completion task and measures of their mood. This study did not lead to the anticipated pattern of results; overall, no significant differences emerged between conditions. Instead, the results of this study raised important concerns regarding the effectiveness of the writing prompts to be addressed in future studies. Study 3 used an experimental design to test if music could serve as an effective buffer against the negative effects of social threats. Participants either completed a writing prompt meant to elicit social needs or a control prompt (both from Pilot 2). Next, they completed a writing prompt about their favorite music or control music (using the same writing prompts from Study 2). Finally, they completed measures of mood, rejection, and loneliness. Similar to Study 2, no significant pattern emerged between conditions in Study 3, which raised concerns about the writing prompts that will be addressed in future studies. Taken together, this work helped to establish a theoretical background for music in the context of the social surrogacy hypothesis, provided some evidence that music can function as a social surrogate, and revealed limitations that will be addressed in future work.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/84053"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["State University of New York at Buffalo"],"dc:rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"dc:subject":["social psychology"],"dc:title":["The Sound of Music: How Music Can Function as a Social Surrogate to Buffer Against the Negative Effects of Social Threats"],"dc:type":["Text","Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:30Z"}