Collective effervescence is the feeling of energy and harmony when people are engaged in a shared purpose. It is a ‘joie de vivre’ that manifests when we share moments with others, such as being at a concert or the theatre and all applauding together, dancing together or being on a run or bike ride with a group of like-minded people, all enjoying the same experience, and I think we could all agree that over the pandemic many of us were severely missing the benefits of collective effervescence.

It is believed that experiencing repeated moments of collective effervescence can lead to happier, connected, and more personally meaningful lives. The term was coined over a century ago by French sociologist Émile Durkheim (1858-1917).

It is no wonder, then, that many seek opportunities to feel these moments of joy and happiness in our post-pandemic world and activities such as wild swimming, Park runs, choirs – which were all available pre-pandemic are seeing their numbers growing as we search out these feelings. When doing my research into this phenomenon I was reminded by one blog post of the collective joy of singing on the school bus in the days before mobile phones and social media when many of us now spend our time plugged into our own little world potentially missing out on these moments of joy.

Park runs are free and for everyone. You can walk, jog, run, volunteer or simply spectate and start from four years old so a real opportunity for the whole family to get out and do something together for your physical, spiritual and emotional health.

All you need to do is visit the parkrun.org.uk website to find the nearest run, but let’s not forget all the wonderful opportunities in Barrow to feel those moments of collective effervescence – Barrow Runners taking you out on runs from the village; the Barrow annual Murder Mystery where you get a chance to work out with your friends who dun nit!; the Sing It Happy choir; the Motion Dance Company where young dancers, as well as their parents, get to experience collective joy; the Women’s Institute and so many more.

There are many opportunities to join events happening at Barrow Community Library (see p. 27). Simply visit the barrowuponsoar.org.uk website to find a group that suits your needs and see what a difference it makes to your quality of life right here in our beautiful village.

Mairi Taylor