Screaming fans at pop concerts: part tradition, part primeval roar

As you may imagine, the wild and torrential hysterics brought upon by offbeat hairstyles and three-part vocal harmonies have fascinated scholars since the early days of Beatlemania. Australian researcher Sarah Baker tells Richards the act of screaming legitimizes the experience of a concert for both fans and the public. Author Rachel Simmons explains how concerts allow women to break away from the molds in which society tries to place them. The collective screams represent a massive exhalation of individual expression. Simmons also notes that adolescent girls scream to fit in and gain the acceptance of their peers.

By Robert Montenegro, Big Think