The Power of Music in Agreement

The Power of Music in Agreement

A long time ago, parliamentary sessions didn’t begin with speeches, documents, or heated arguments. They began with music.

After a shared meal, people would sing together. Before any vote, before any decision, there was harmony — quite literally.

Why? Because music has power. Neuroscience shows us what our ancestors already knew: when we sing or listen to the same rhythm, our brains align. Dopamine flows, oxytocin rises, and suddenly we feel closer, more trusting. Studies have proven it — people tend to agree more when they hear and sing the same music.

Think about it. Before debate, there was resonance. Before division, there was unity. The melody didn’t erase disagreement, but it calibrated it.

Today I entered the clinic singing a Portuguese hit — Marco Paulo’s famous “Maravilhoso Coração, Maravilhoso”. Marco, who recently passed away, was one of the great voices of Portuguese popular and folkloric music.

There are songs that cling to the skin, not just as melodies but as living memories. “Maravilhoso Coração,” by Marco Paulo, is one of those songs. Recorded in 1991, it was born from the composition of Roberto Livi and Alejandro Vezzani, with lyrics adapted into Portuguese by Mário Martins. It quickly became a hit and gave its name to a compilation that marked an entire generation.

Anyway…..I started singing in the kitchen, and immediately Fátima and Carolina recognized it. Then Soraia joined in. As I walked toward my surgical suite, Liliana, my dental nurse, picked up the rhythm. Finally, Margarida, my junior helper, stood by me and sang as well. Suddenly, all the “parliament” of the clinic was calibrated — ready to do something spectacular.

And it truly was.

Today was the day we tested a new digital cassette for fully guided implant protocols — the iGuide, Straumann’s refinement of the fully digital workflow. In a way, it also felt like a reunion with an old girlfriend: my photography setup, the one I used to rely on so often. With it, we captured some truly striking images once again.

From anesthesia to implant placement, from filming to photography, from surgery to prosthetics — everyone was completely focused on their task, yet somehow always in tune with the same music playing in the background.

The outcome was a clean, fluid surgery — a magnificent debut for this technology in our clinic. Everyone contributed: their input, their energy, their sweat.

It became a symbiotic moment. And when those moments happen, they don’t just pass — they stay with us forever.