Sunday Times 2
Want to make your heart sing? Join a choir to guard your emotional well-being
People who sing with others are happier with their lives than those who simply sing around the house, a study found.
Choir members are also more satisfied with their lot than people who play team sports. The findings suggest that there is something special about being in a choir, over and above benefits of singing and taking part in a group activity.
In the study, Oxford Brookes University psychologist Nick Stewart quizzed 375 men and women about their psychological wellbeing.
Some sang in choirs, others sang alone or played team sports. All three reported high levels of wellbeing but the choristers were clearly ahead. Researcher Nick Stewart said: ‘Choral singers also reported perceiving their choirs to be a more coherent or meaningful social group than team sport players considered their teams.’
It is thought that moving and breathing in synchrony may contribute to this enhanced sense of togetherness. Mr Stewart told a British Psychological Society conference: ‘These findings suggest that feeling part of a cohesive social group can add to the experience of using your voice to make music.’
However, others shouldn’t despair. Team sport players and those who sang alone felt more independent than choir members.
Previous studies have provided evidence that singing with others provides a wealth of health benefits from strengthening the immune system and reducing stress to improving the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Importantly, you don’t have to be a wonderful singer to benefit.
This is because improvements to health come from being part of a team, working in synchrony and exercising the lungs, diaphragm and other parts of the body – rather than from singing in tune. Mr Stuart, who is a member of a choir in Oxford, said: ‘Results are not dependent on expertise. ’You don’t have to be brilliant to benefit.’
© Daily Mail, London