The Study of Vibes

Everyone from musicians and athletes to poets and gurus talk about “vibes.” Other words include energy, mood, flow, buzz, ambience, and atmosphere. But few people define or explain what they mean. What exactly are we talking about when we say “vibes?” Is it a loose metaphor for emotion? Maybe gut instinct? A poppy catch-phrase? Or does it refer to a unique phenomenon that needs its own classification and terminology? Are we referring to the light and sound vibrations that travel through air and hit our eyes and ears, or are we referring to some transcendent and metaphysical experience?

My interest in vibes dates back to the early 1990s when I was participating in New York City’s early rave scene and the roving fan festivals of the band Phish. I wrote my first paper on the vibe for a college class on nonverbal communication. I then used my graduate studies to conceptualize the vibe as a tangible, felt energy that emanates from our bodies. This “bodily emanation” is a human energy system that can be detected on interpersonal, small and large group, and even global levels, and it can be used as a form of communication, a way of knowing, and an existential guide for moving through the world.