London - Hallelujah! Singing as part of a choir or sporting crowd might have more than just a feel-good factor.
Scientists investigating the effects of music on our well-being have found that the calming effects of collective singing are as beneficial to a person’s health as yoga.
They discovered that when people participate in a choir their heartbeats become synchronised, and their pulses increase and decrease in union.
It also has a dramatic effect on an individual’s heart rate variability – the change of intervals between each beat – which is linked to a reduced risk of cardiac disease.
“Our hypothesis is that song is a form of regular, controlled breathing, since breathing out occurs on the song phrases and inhaling takes place between these,” said lead researcher Dr Björn Vickhoff from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
“Every heartbeat, a person’s pulse is going up and down. For younger, healthier people, there is a greater variability and a smoother, more pronounced beat. And this heart rate variability is a predictor for heart disease and risk.
“When you are singing, the heartbeat for the whole group is going up and down simultaneously. It gives you pretty much the same effect as yoga breathing. It helps you relax, and there are indications that it does provide a heart benefit.”
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, examined 15 teenagers who performed three different choral exercises – monotone humming, singing a well-known Swedish hymn Härlig är Jorden (Lovely is the Earth) and chanting a slow mantra.
The heart rhythm of the choir members was registered as they performed in each case.
The results showed the music’s melody was linked to the cardiac activity of the individual choir member. And that singing in unison had a synchronising effect, with the heart rate of the performers increasing and decreasing at the same time.
“We already know that choral singing synchronises the singers’ muscular movements and neural activities in large parts of the body. Now we also know that this applies to the heart, to a large extent,” said Vickhoff.
He said there are other ways that singing may boost our wellbeing.
“You are having fun when you are singing, and that’s always a good thing. And you are training your lungs to breathe better,” he said. “When you are singing together, you are synchronising with other people – and harmonising your hearts. It suggests it makes people more open and sensitive to each other.”
The team will now investigate whether collective singing really does create a shared mental outlook among participants. – Daily Mail