Chinese brain experiment at dance performance generates goosebumps and aversion

Audience members at a university dance recital provoked a viral – and visceral – reaction after a social media post with 10 million views showed them taking part in a brain-reading experiment while watching the performance.

But the scientists monitoring brain responses during the show have come out to explain the nature of the experiment and the purpose of the volunteers’ electrode-covered “hats” worn in the theatre that social media commenters said were unsettling and had triggered “goosebumps” and phobias.

On June 7, a dance drama performance called “Wing Chun” was held in a theatre at Tsinghua University. During the performance, eight students who sat together in one row wore futuristic “hats” covered with threads and white dots.

A student dancer from another university in Beijing was so spooked by the scene that she posted photos from the show on the Chinese social media platform RedNote.

She asked: “What kind of mysterious hi-tech organisation is this? I, a dance student, really want to know!”

The post quickly attracted attention and discussion, with more than 2,300 comments flooding in, many of which expressed horror and bewilderment.