Whether or not they can carry a tune, most people seem to enjoy singing. They feel better after belting out a tune, and scientists agree that singing is good for your body and your mind. Whether individually or in groups the positive effects can include:
- Relieves stress
Singing has been proven to alter the hormones and neurotransmitters that boost mood-state and the immune system. It reduces stress, which is linked to so many health conditions. The amount of the stress indicator, cortisol, was measurably less in subjects after singing a tune. This may not be true if you are performing in a highly stressful situation.
- Stimulates the immune response
There's some evidence that singing may boost your immune system and help you fight off illnesses. Those who sang showed higher levels of immunoglobulin A (an antibody your body secretes to help fend off infections). Listening to music (without singing along) reduced stress hormones but didn't stimulate the body's immune system.
- Increases pain threshold
When you sing in a group, whether it's a large choir or a smaller group, the act of collective singing causes your body to release endorphins. This hormone can help promote positive feelings and even change your perception of pain.
Singing, drumming, and dancing in a group triggers the release of hormones that raise your pain tolerance in ways that just listening to music doesn't.
Researchers note that the feelings of social connection, rather than the music itself, may be behind the boost in pain tolerance.
- May improve snoring
Regular singing may change the way you breathe, even when you're no longer singing. Researchers interviewed the spouses of choir members, along with the spouses of people who don't sing and found that significantly fewer choir members snored. Regular singing may be a potential treatment for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). People who play wind instruments also snore less than the general population.
- Improves lung function
Because singing involves deep breathing and the controlled use of muscles in the respiratory system, it increases the amount of oxygen in your blood and may be beneficial for certain lung and breathing conditions.
- Develops a sense of belonging and connection
When you sing together with others, you're likely to feel the same kind of camaraderie and bonding that players on sports teams experience. One of the neurochemicals released when people feel bonded together is oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. Spontaneous, improvised singing causes your body to release this feel-good hormone, which may help give you a heightened sense of connectedness and inclusion.
- Enhances memory in people with dementia
People with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia experience a gradual loss of memory but were able to recall song lyrics more easily than other words. In fact, singing familiar songs suddenly brought back memories they'd forgotten. Particularly, singing songs learned at a younger age caused a spontaneous return of autobiographical details for many people.
- Helps with grief
Singing in a group doesn't just help you with physical pain; it may also help with the emotional pain of grief after you've lost someone you love. Researchers concluded that group singing may be a good option for people who need additional support during a time of grief.
- Improves mental health and mood
A 2018 study done in the United Kingdom evaluated 20 people in a singing program known as The Sing Your Heart Out project. The participants included people with mental health conditions, as well as the general public.
Researchers found that the participants reported improvements in their mental health, mood, sense of well-being, and feeling of belonging as a result of these singing workshops.
- Helps improve speaking abilities
Decades ago, scientists began researching the effects of singing among people who have a hard time with speech due to a neurological condition. Singing stimulates multiple areas of the brain at the same time and may enable people with an impairment in one part of the brain to communicate using other areas of their brain.
Singing also makes it easier to incorporate hand-tapping, a method that can help people maintain speaking rhythms that are otherwise challenging.
Singing may be beneficial for those with autism, Parkinson's disease, aphasia following a stroke, and stuttering – 70s country music star, Mel Tillis, had a terrible stutter—but not when singing.