Sing Along for Health

Their
mouths curve into O's as if in collective astonishment. Sometimes they
sway. Other times, they lean toward each other, gathering themselves
for that climactic note.

Whether in a barbershop quartet, an a cappella group, a gospel
choir or a community chorus, people who sing together often seem
utterly happy and engaged.

And it may be true. Scientists have researched the effects of
group singing, and the results show benefits for mood, stress levels,
and even the immune system.

Researchers in Germany used questionnaires and
before-and-after saliva samples to compare the effects of singing
choral music with just listening to it. They found that singing buoyed
mood and boosted the immune system activity. Just listening to choral
music dampened spirits, although it did decrease the levels of
cortisol, a stress hormone.

Singing may also offer benefits not unlike those of deep
breathing exercises, which are recommended as a way to promote the
stress-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 of
speech problems can often sing words that they have difficulty
speaking. In 2006, University of Montreal psychologists reported that
singing per se didn't help eight people with speech difficulties caused
by damage to the left side of their brains. But singing in unison with
a recording did help. The researchers said the results suggest that
choral singing might be good therapy for some speech disorders.

The sing-along effect may not be limited to members of the
choir. In his popular book "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of
American Community" (Simon and Schuster, 2001), Harvard's Kennedy
School of Government professor Robert Putnam identified group song as a
form of civic engagement that could lead to other kinds of involvement,
such as volunteer work or political activism. On his Web site, Putnam
includes singing in a choir on his list of ways to build "social
capital" -- the social networks, trust between individuals and so on
that make people happier ... and probably healthier, too.

Diet and exercise dominate health advice. But perhaps it's
time we started giving other activities -- like choral singing -- their
due. We agree with Garrison Keillor: "To sing like this, in the company
of other souls, and to make those consonants slip out so easily and in
unison, and to make those chords so rich that they bring tears to your
eyes. This is transcendence." And it may be good for your health, too.

Source: Harvard Health
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