A new study from the University of Exeter and Tokyo University of the Arts explores connections and functions in music from around the world, as reported in Science Daily. Co-author Dr Thomas Currie:
Our findings help explain why humans make music. The results show that the most common features seen in music around the world relate to things that allow people to coordinate their actions, and suggest that the main function of music is to bring people together and bond social groups—it can be a kind of social glue.
I’ve glanced at the paper, which is less intimidating than I expected, but the article I’ve linked is a good layman’s summary.