Why sing?

1. Singing makes you feel better

There’s an increasing amount of evidence that singing releases endorphins, serotonin and dopamine – the ‘happy’ chemicals that boost your mood and make you feel energized and uplifted Scientists believe that’s one of the reasons why people report being on a high during choir sessions and continuing to feel positive, uplifted and motivated afterwards.

Singing also counts as an aerobic activity as it introduces more oxygen into the blood leading to better circulation – and a better mood.

2. Singing enhances lung function

We often take our lungs for granted, but most of us rarely use them to their full capacity. The way singing requires you to breathe makes you do just that, increasing your lung capacity as well as engaging the muscles around the ribcage.

That’s why singing has been used to help rehabilitate people recovering from lung conditions and, more recently, to benefit people suffering from long Covid.

3. Singing helps you beat stress and relax

As well as benefitting our lungs, breathing properly and with more awareness is good for releasing anxiety and helping us transition to a state of rest and relaxation.

If you’re in a bad mood or having a rotten day, give singing a go. We promise its stress-busting properties will help you forget your worries and simply be in the moment! Oh - and did we mention that it is also lots of FUN!

4. Singing strengthens concentration and memory

Singing can help improve mental alertness, memory and concentration as it involves focusing on multiple things at once, engaging many areas of the brain in the process. Music is also increasingly becoming a feature of dementia care, in part because it has proved a powerful tool in sparking memories often long after other forms of communication have diminished.

5. Singing builds a sense of community

Singing is one of the best team sports - everyone is working together to achieve a common goal. Singing with other people, whether in the flesh or on screen, can help build connections and feelings of togetherness. Recent research has also shown that the sense of self-other merging we experience by synchronizing our voices with others is a great way to fast-track social bonding.

There’s also the pleasure to be found in sharing an interest, and of course the joy of forging new friendships.

6. Singing lets you express yourself

Singing is the perfect way to let go and express how you feel. We sing a wide range of music, and every song has a story to tell. Singing animates the body, mind and spirit and allows the performer to delve into some characterisation and acting. It stimulates insight into the text and the inner meaning of words. And of course, when you sing in a group, there’s the added fun of watching other people enjoying themselves too!

7. Singing can help with pain relief

Remember endorphions, those 'happy chemicals'? Well singing releases pain-relieving endorphins too, helping you to forget that sore tooth or sprained ankle. By supporting wellbeing and giving choristers a healthy dose of joy, singing can be beneficial for people who are living with persistent pain.

8. Singing boosts your confidence

Many people get nervous at the thought of performing in public, but singing in a group can actually help boost your confidence and fire up your self-esteem – and the more you do it, the more confident you’ll feel. Good posture is also a key factor in hitting the high notes, so you’ll find you’re naturally standing taller by the end. 

9. Singing boosts your immune system

Singing strengthens the immune system, according to research by scientists at the University of Frankfurt in Germany, published in the latest edition of the US Journal of Behavioral Medicine. The scientists tested the blood of people who sang in a professional choir in the city, before and after a 60 minute rehearsal of Mozart’s Requiem.

They found that concentrations of immunoglobin A – proteins in the immune system which function as antibodies – and hydrocortisone, an anti-stress hormone, increased significantly during the rehearsal. A week later, when they asked members of the choir to listen to a recording of the Requiem without singing, they found the composition of their blood did not change significantly.

10. Singing is for everyone

The good news is, it doesn’t matter whether you think you can sing in tune or not: the health benefits will still be the same. People who sing are generally healthier than those that don't - so why not give it a go!

Read more:

https://www.operanorth.co.uk/news/10-reasons-singing-is-good-for-you/

https://www.barbershop.org/the-health-benefits-of-singing