Singing is one of the easiest and most pleasant activities ; all that is needed is a memorable melody and a place where we can do it without disturbing others (something that doesn’t only happen in the shower).

But, besides being a pleasant experience, singing has several benefits for the functioning of our mind. Let’s see what they are.

The benefits of singing

This activity has several advantages, and many of them are not directly related to our psychological well-being. We will now focus on the positive points of singing that have to do with improving the performance of our mind or the subjective well-being it produces in the person who performs it.

1. Singing causes us to secrete endorphins

Endorphins are hormones that, when produced in large quantities by the body, produce a feeling of well-being that can be transformed into euphoria. Something similar happens when we hear someone singing and we like the melody , perhaps because our brain "rehearses" mentally what we would experience if we sang that piece ourselves.

2. Serves to relieve stress

The release of endorphins and the action of exercising the muscles responsible for participating in the modulation of singing make us feel a little more tired but satisfied and relaxed after singing, something that also happens with physical exercise in general.

Through the effort and small improvisations we make in modulating our voice we release tensions accumulated during the day , partly because it is a task that requires almost all our attention and links it to a pleasant 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.Reducing stress through singing and other resources leads to better general health and a feeling of well-being

4. Helps improve breathing

After making singing a habit, we learn at a good pace new ways of moving the muscles involved in breathing , especially the diaphragm. This makes us optimize the use of our lungs and make our own a way of breathing that expresses well the faculties of our organism, oxygenating us better. Even if the size of our lungs does not change, we will make better use of them.

5. Goes well for the cardiovascular system

If we sing for several minutes regularly, we will be doing a light but easy exercise , 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’s uncomfortable and counterintuitive. That is why e most 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.

7. Tonifies the belly muscles

Singing does not make you thinner, but it does make your abs a little more toned . This, apart from being aesthetic, means that our thorax becomes a little stronger and more resistant.

8. May prevent dementia

There are currently some studies that relate singing to the prevention of the symptoms of age-related dementia. The reason is that it is an activity mediated by several cognitive processes that are exercised when singing, becoming more “elastic” and adaptable to the circumstances even when the neuronal networks begin to be damaged.

9. Cleans the airways

Singing causes air to pass through the airways at different levels of pressure , making them “cleaner” and preventing the accumulation of harmful bacteria. Of course, care must be taken not to damage the vocal cords.

10. Helps connect with babies

Babies learn language through the musicality and rhythms that are present in words . That is why they respond with enthusiasm when singing, and in 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 stick 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 to “memorize” 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 his name and because the melody reminds us of his character, for example, we already have a way of never forgetting who he is.

12. It helps to connect with others

Singing in a group is one of the best ways to feel part of a community and to break the barrier of isolation. The processing of music is related to mental processes that are closely linked to our emotional memory, which makes when we sing we become 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 in part this is why singing sessions are widely used in support groups.