Whether in a barbershop quartet, an a cappella group, a gospelchoir or a community chorus, people who sing together often seemutterly happy and engaged.
And it may be true. Scientists have researched the effects ofgroup singing, and the results show benefits for mood, stress levels,and even the immune system.
Researchers in Germany used questionnaires andbefore-and-after saliva samples to compare the effects of singingchoral music with just listening to it. They found that singing buoyedmood and boosted the immune system activity. Just listening to choralmusic dampened spirits, although it did decrease the levels ofcortisol, a stress hormone.
Singing may also offer benefits not unlike those of deepbreathing exercises, which are recommended as a way to promote thestress-relieving "relaxation response." It requires similar deep,controlled breathing and focuses the person's attention on the lungs,diaphragm and abdominal muscles.
Many studies have shown that people with various kinds ofspeech problems can often sing words that they have difficultyspeaking. In 2006, University of Montreal psychologists reported thatsinging per se didn't help eight people with speech difficulties causedby damage to the left side of their brains. But singing in unison witha recording did help. The researchers said the results suggest thatchoral singing might be good therapy for some speech disorders.
