Singing Makes You Happy According To Research
When we shower, we can listen to and sing to music. In short, we want to say that singing makes you happy. This universal practice fills us with serotonin and oxytocin. This injection of enthusiasm is available to everyone. Even people with Alzheimer’s react every time they are encouraged to sing.
How singing affects our world
Edith Piaf once said that singing allows us to escape to another world. However, psychologists and brain researchers will not fully agree with this idea. However , music therapy represents a way to create a connection with others and to evoke emotions that help us establish more intense bonds with other people.
For example, in a study published in The Journals of Gerontology , researchers explain that when the elderly sing in a choir, their health will improve and they will feel less lonely. We can not ignore the fact that people over the age of 65 have a greater chance of getting depression associated with social isolation.
Therefore, something as simple as being part of a music group will enhance interaction and generate very positive emotional, cognitive and physical changes. But even everyday things like singing in the shower also act as a reset button with the ability to give us energy, joy and a good dose of positivity.
Singing makes you happy because your brain loves music
After all, we enjoy the simplest things, such as being in good company, an afternoon of rest, or a meal with friends. Singing makes you happy due to a fact that is both basic and fascinating: the human brain loves music.
Researchers are working hard to explain this fact. Leonard Meyer explains in the book Emotion and Meaning in Music that the brain experiences a type of positive shock at every part of music, as well as every note we dare to sing loudly.
In addition, researchers tell us that we have an interesting structure in our ears that allows us to sing: the sacculus. This small part of the inner ear responds to the frequencies created when we sing. This physiological response gives us joy. These vibrations calm the brain in a cleansing way. It’s almost magical.
Singing makes you happy and improves your mood
Pablo Picasso said that to paint and draw, you have to close your eyes and sing. Singing weakly or loudly, or even whispering and humming is something many of us do when we do different tasks. Thus , it is common to sing while driving, doing sports, cleaning the house, or even while working.
Singing improves our mood. It releases endorphins, produces serotonin and reduces cortisol levels. A study conducted at the University of Frankfurt showed that singing strengthens our immune system, and will even strengthen our breathing, flexibility in the diaphragm and our lung health.
The link between singing and neurodegenerative diseases
However, one of the most notable benefits of singing, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, involves people with neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, the Alzheimer’s Association has been running what they call “singing for the brain” sessions for many years.
It has been observed that singing improves attention in older people with this disease. It helps them to connect with others in a positive way. They experience joy, laughter, and feel more receptive to communication and interaction. It also improves their concentration and mood.
Experts in the field of intellectual disability, such as Tom Shakespeare and Alice Whieldon from the University of East Anglia, discovered that people with mental problems experience great benefits from singing workshops. Singing reduces stress and anxiety, and helps them regain both their self-confidence and social skills.
We can say that, in a way, singing will always give our brain a reward. Music seems like another language, where no words are needed.
