Singing also activates a broad network of neurons on both sides of our brain, causing regions that deal with language, movement and emotion to light up. This, combined with the focus on breathing singing requires, make it an effective stress reliever.
“The ‘feel good’ responses become clear in the brighter sounding voices, facial expressions, and postures,” says Street.
There could be some deep-rooted reasons for these benefits too. Some anthropologists believe that our hominid ancestors sang before they could speak, using vocalisations to mimic the sounds of nature or express feelings. This may have played a key role in the development of complex social dynamics, emotional expression and ritual, and Street points out that it’s no accident that singing is part of every human’s life, whether musically inclined or not, noting that our brains and bodies are attuned from birth to respond in positive ways to song.
“Lullabies are sung to children, and then songs are sung at funerals,” he says. “We learn our times tables through chanting, and our ABCs through the rhythmic and melodic structure.”
Come together
But not all types of singing are equally beneficial. Singing as part of a group or a choir, for example, has been found to promote a greater level of psychological wellbeing than in solo singers. For this reason, educational researchers have used singing as a tool for promoting cooperation, language development and emotional regulation in children.