THE VOCAL LEXICON: 6 Psychological and Physical Benefits of Choral Si...

THE VOCAL LEXICON: 6 Psychological and Physical Benefits of Choral Si...: SOURCE Research has shown for some time that singing in a choir has tremendous benefits for physical and mental well-bing, leading some to ...

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listening to music?

What exactly happens to us when we listen to Music?
What are some of the unknown advantages?
How does Music help us to do better in everyday life?

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3 Answers

Manideep Kusa, studied at Maturi Venkata Subba Rao Engineering College

Written May 21, 2016

The brain can work in ways we can’t comprehend. In numerous studies they have been able to see just how much normal things like music can effect, and even alter, it completely. These facts about music will give you an insight into the complexity of your own mind.

1. The chills you get when you listen to music, is mostly caused by the brain releasing dopamine while anticipating the peak moment of a song.

Dopamine is a feel-good chemical released by the brain. This chemical is directly involved in motivation, as well as addiction. These studies found a biological explanation for why music always has been such a huge part of emotional events around the world since the beginning of human history.(source)

2. There are few activities in life that utilizes the entire brain, and music is one of them.

With Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI), a research team recorded a group of individuals who were listening to music. They found that listening to music recruits the auditory areas, and employs large-scale neural networks in the brain. In fact, they believe music can activate emotional, motor, and creative areas of the brain.

3. Playing music regularly will physically alter your brain structure.

Brain plas­tic­ity refers to the brain’s abil­ity to change through­out life. Changes asso­ci­ated with learn­ing occur mostly at the con­nec­tions between neu­rons. When studying musicians, they found that the cor­tex vol­ume was high­est in pro­fes­sional musi­cians, inter­me­di­ate in ama­teur musicians, and lowest in non-musicians

4.The brain responds to music the same way it responds to something that you eat.

As stated above, dopamine is a chemical released by the brain. This chemical is connected with the feeling of euphoria which is associated with addiction, sex, and even eating. Dopamine is what enables a person to feel the pleasures of such things. A study using only instrumental music proves that anticipation for a musical rush released the same kind of reactions in the brain as anticipating the taste of your food

5. Listening to music while exercising can significantly improve your work-out performance.

Dissociation is a diversionary technique which lowered the perceptions of effort. This technique can divert the mind from feelings of fatigue, and heighten positive mood states like vigor. By using music during low to moderate exercise intensities, you will find yourself with an overall more pleasurable experience while working out.

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6 Psychological and Physical Benefits of Choral Singing

SOURCEResearch has shown for some time that singing in a choir has tremendous benefits for physical and mental well-bing, leading some to campaign for it to be prescribed as a treatment for medical conditions. In addition, recent findings from a study suggest that there are specific benefits related to choral singing which are unique to this pastime.

Below we take a look at some of the advantages of singing in a group.

Strengthen feeling of togetherness

Research led by psychologist Nick Stewart of Bath University indicates that people who participate in a choir enjoy a greater feeling of togetherness and being part of a collective endeavour than others involved in different social activities. The researchers compared three groups of people, one of which was engaged in choral singing, the other solo singing, and the third was made up of members of team sports. A consequence of this is that choir members reported lower levels of autonomy than members of team sports or soloists, but Stewart suggested this may be a price worth paying, especially in a society where we are very often focused on our individual lives rather than broader cooperative goals.

Regulate heart rate

Researchers discovered that members of a choir saw their heart rates beat in unison in relation to the speed of their breathing. Heart rates were directly affected by the melody of the music, and the pulses of those tested rose and fell at the same time when they sung in a group. The study was based on 15 18-year-old participants tested by University of Gothenburg researchers. Reducing the variability of your heart rate has a positive impact on your health. It was also suggested that the ability of choral singing to regulate a nerve responsible for emotions and communication with others strengthens the feeling of cooperation.

Reduce stress levels and depression

A number of studies have pointed to the mental health benefits of singing. One study lasting for a year involving participants who had been diagnosed with depression found that some of them no longer met that diagnosis following their involvement with a choir. Other studies have pointed to the impact group singing has on boosting oxytocin levels, which help control stress and anxiety.

Improve symptoms of Parkinson’s and lung disease

Cardiff University researchers uncovered evidence in 2012 that lung cancer patients engaged in choral singing had greater expiratory capacity than people who did not. Music Professor Brenville Hancox established, Skylarks, a choir aimed at people with Parkinson’s Disease. One of the participants in the choir explained how his voice had been strengthened, despite receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s five years earlier. Reasons for the improvement have been suggested as deep breathing and the extended use of the vocal chords.

Improve feeling of social wellbeing

Stewart’s study found that participants in choral singing reported a higher rate of social wellbeing on one of the measures than solo singers. However, the rates for choral singers and sports team players were the same, indicating that so long as your doing something in a group, it will prove equally beneficial for feelings of social well-being.

Increase life expectancy?

You may at first be a bit surprised to see we’re claiming this to be a benefit of choral singing. But a joint study by Harvard and Yale Universities published in 2008 did in fact find that this was the result of a group of people participating in a choir in a Connecticut town.

And if, after reading all that, you’re still not sure or think you’re just not good enough, well that’s no excuse! According to a 2005 study, even if the quality of singing produced is “mediocre,” emotional, social and cognitive benefits still result, proving that there really is a prize just for taking part.

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SINGING CHANGES YOUR BRAIN

When you sing, musical vibrations move through you, altering your physical and emotional landscape. Group singing, for those who have done it, is the most exhilarating and transformative of all. It takes something incredibly intimate, a sound that begins inside you, shares it with a roomful of people and it comes back as something even more thrilling: harmony. So it’s not surprising that group singing is on the rise. According to Chorus America, 32.5 million adults sing in choirs, up by almost 10 million over the past six years. Many people think  of church music when you bring up group singing, but there are over 270,000 choruses across the country and they include gospel groups to show choirs like the ones depicted in Glee to strictly amateur groups like Choir! Choir! Choir! singing David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World.

As the popularity of group singing grows, science has been hard at work trying to explain why it has such a calming yet energizing effect on people. What researchers are beginning to discover is that singing is like an infusion of the perfect tranquilizer, the kind that both soothes your nerves and elevates your spirits.

The elation may come from endorphins, a hormone released by singing, which is associated with feelings of pleasure.  Or it might be from oxytocin, another hormone released during singing, which has been found to alleviate anxiety and stress. Oxytocin also enhances feelings of trust and bonding, which may explain why still more studies have found that singing lessens feelings of depression and loneliness.  A very recent study even attempts to make the case that “music evolved as a tool of social living,” and that the pleasure that comes from singing together is our evolutionary reward for coming together cooperatively, instead of hiding alone, every cave-dweller for him or herself.

The benefits of singing regularly seem to be cumulative. In one study, singers were found to have lower levels of cortisol, indicating lower stress.  A very preliminary investigation suggesting that our heart rates may sync up during group singing could also explain why singing together sometimes feels like a guided group meditation.  Study after study has found that singing relieves anxiety and contributes to quality of life. Dr. Julene K. Johnson, a researcher who has focused on older singers, recently began a five year study to examine group singing as an affordable method to improve the health and well-being of older adults.

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