Health Benefits of Singing
Scientists say singing boosts 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. The researchers, who included Hans Guenther Bastian from the Institute of Musical Education at Frankfurt University, concluded singing not only strengthened the immune system but also notably improved the performer's mood.
Singing is good for you.
- Many studies done over a number of years have focused on the health benefits of singing, and the evidence is overwhelming.
Singing releases endorphins into your system and makes you feel energized and uplifted. People who sing are healthier than people who don’t.
Singing gives the lungs a workout,
Singing tones abdominal and intercostal muscles and the diaphragm, and stimulates circulation.
Singing makes us breathe more deeply than many forms of strenuous exercise, so we take in more oxygen, improve aerobic capacity and experience a release of muscle tension as well.” — Professor Graham Welch, Director of Educational Research, University of Surrey, Roehampton, UK