Why singing makes us feel good

Whether at home in your bathroom, in your car, with friends, with the help of a professional or even in a choir, singing has a real interest in morale and the management of emotions and stress. The whole body being concerned, the vibrations of singing even allow the body to relax.

everyone can sing

The voice has been an essential communication tool since childhood. Singing, whether it’s a little hum or a more professional application, is accessible to all ages, whether or not you feel self-conscious about your voice.

However, unlike speech, singing allows you to focus on sound to make it melodious through your physical sensations, whether through your voice, your breath, or the body vibrations that result from it. It mobilizes the whole body and constitutes a real physical exercise.

What happens in our brain when we sing?

Several studies (1) using brain imaging have revealed what happens in the brain when we sing. In reality, it is indeed dopamine, the neurotransmitter of pleasure, which not only provides a feeling of well-being, but which also encourages you to start again.

This phenomenon is described both in those who listen to music and in those who sing, in the whole brain, that is to say both the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere. The benefits are therefore very important, both on memory and pleasure, but also on the development of reasoning, vocabulary, and synchronization, especially in children.

In Alzheimer’s patients (2), music and singing workshops can even reduce anxiety and improve mood, including at a severe stage where musical memory resists.

Sources:

1. Whitehead JC, Armony JL. Singing in the brain: Neural representation of music and voice as revealed by fMRI. Hum Brain Map. 2018;39(12):4913-4924. doi:10.1002/hbm.24333
2. Lyu J, Zhang J, Mu H, et al. The Effects of Music Therapy on Cognition, Psychiatric Symptoms, and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;64(4):1347-1358. doi:10.3233/JAD-180183