Your Healing Voice
The benefits of singing have long been documented – we know it feels good to sing, but what actually happens to our bodies when we sing?
We set out to discover how and why singing can be so beneficial to our overall health and well-being. We explored the best music to sing along with and how long we need to sing for in order to feel the benefits. Research has shown that singing may actually help us ward off illness – a benefit that is not to be underestimated in this current pandemic situation.
In order to understand the therapeutic effect of singing and how our voices can help our overall wellbeing, we explored the scientific mechanisms underlying the relationship between singing and our body chemistry.
We discovered that singing alters the hormones and neurotransmitters that boost mood-state and the immune system. We have also found that singing reduce stress, which is linked to so many health conditions. Our previous research shows that listening to positive music for more than 5 minutes a day can improve mood state and that engaging in music by singing or playing instruments is more effective than listening alone.
We have also found that singing can be good for mental well-being and that through group singing we can nurture our spiritual health and sense of belonging. Singing also boosts the immune system which may help reduce frequency of illness.
We have identified the 3 most important ingredients in music that may help improve health & wellbeing. These are lyrics (to boost mood, increase Dopamine, reduce stress), driving rhythm (to boost mood and increase oxygen flow) and breathing (to reduce stress and increase oxygen). We have also identified a duration of time to sing to increase mood-state.
Enjoy Our Singing For Health And Wellbeing Infographic
