Singing is one of the easiest and most pleasant activities ; All it takes is a memorable tune and a place where we can do it without disturbing others (something that doesn’t just happen in the shower).
But, in addition to being a pleasant experience, singing has several benefits for the functioning of our mind. Let’s see what they are.
This activity has several advantages, and many of them have nothing to do directly with our psychological well-being. Below we will focus on the positive points of sing that have to do with improving the performance of our mind or in the subjective well-being that it produces in the person who does it.
1. Singing makes us secrete endorphins
Endorphins are hormones that, when produced in large quantities by the body, produce a feeling of well-being that can turn into euphoria. Something similar happens when we hear someone sing and we like the melody perhaps because our brain mentally “rehearses” what we would experience if we sang that piece ourselves.
2. It serves to release tension
The release of endorphins and the action of exercising the muscles responsible for participating in the modulation of singing mean that after singing we feel a little more tired but satisfied and relaxed, something that also happens with physical exercise in general.
Through the effort and the small improvisations we make when modulating our voice we release tensions accumulated during the day partly because it is a task that requires almost all of our attention and links it to a pleasurable activity.
3. Improves the immune response
This benefit is related to the previous one, since stress is one of the factors that have a greater negative impact on the immune system. By reducing stress through singing and other resources, a better state of general health is achieved, as well as a feeling of well-being.
4. Helps improve breathing
After making singing a habit, We are learning at a good pace new ways to move the muscles involved in breathing, especially the diaphragm. This makes us optimize the use of our lungs and adopt a way of breathing that fully expresses the powers of our body, oxygenating us better. Even if the size of our lungs does not change, we will make better use of it.
5. It is good for the cardiovascular system
If we sing for several minutes regularly, we will be performing a light but easy exercise to perform, since we will not need additional materials to do it. In this way, in turn, we will promote the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system.
6. Helps improve posture
You can sing while hunched over, but it is uncomfortable and counterintuitive. That’s whyMost people stand up straight when singing something that can become a habit through these small rituals and, little by little, become our standard posture in any situation.
Singing doesn’t make you lose weight, but it does make your abs a little more toned This, in addition to being aesthetic, means that our chest becomes somewhat stronger and more resistant.
8. It could prevent dementia
Currently there are some studies that link singing with the prevention of the appearance of the symptoms of dementia that appear with age. The reason is that it is an activity mediated by several cognitive processes that are exercised when singing, becoming more “elastic” and adaptable to circumstances even when the neural networks begin to be damaged.
9. Clear the respiratory tract
Singing causes air to pass at different pressure levels through the respiratory tract, making them “cleaner” and preventing harmful bacteria from accumulating. Of course, you have to be careful not to damage the vocal cords.
10. Helps connect with babies
Babies learn language through musicality and the rhythms that are present in words That is why they respond with enthusiasm when it is sung, and on many occasions they establish a dialogue with that music through their movements.
11. Makes it easier to memorize
Musicality is an ingredient that is often used in mnemonic tricks to make certain information remain recorded in our brain and not be forgotten. In the same way, having a wide repertoire that we are used to singing is a good basis for “memorizing” things on that canvas.
If there is a part of a song that reminds us of a person because there is a word that resembles their name and because the melody reminds us of their character, for example, we already have a way of never forgetting who they are.
Singing in a group is one of the best ways to feel like you are part of a community and break the barrier of isolation. Music processing is related to mental processes closely related to our emotional memory, which makes When we sing, we get very involved in what we do, and if more people participate in this, we will feel in tune with them
This feeling of belonging to the collective was present in the first uses of music by our species, and that is partly why singing sessions are widely used in support groups.
