Four on the Fourth: Four Reasons to Sing the Day Away
How often have you caught yourself singing and you didn’t even realize you were doing it? Humming? Tapping your toe or drumming along on the steering wheel in the car? Music, particularly singing, is hardwired into our lives. Can you imagine going to a movie or watching a television show devoid of music? Every major news outlet has a composer on staff to write music for big stories. Monday Night Football? The Olympics? You can’t separate music from these things. How will we celebrate the Olympic champions this month? By the singing of their national anthems! So…why not mark the moments of your life with song? Here are four reasons why you should.
Singing Makes Us Happy
And guess what? It really has nothing to do with how well you sing. It’s the act itself that releases endorphins that just make us feel better. In Ronald Blythe’s book, Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village, the author relates the story of Fred Mitchell, an 85 year-old farm hand who lived through the industrial revolution in England. Mr. Mitchell tells the tale of growing up with few joys – up before the sun, and back home after dark, hands rough and bloodied from the day’s work. He recalls never having any pleasure…but then he remembers…
There was nothing in my childhood, only work. I never had pleasure…but I have forgotten one thing – the singing, There was such a lot of singing in the villages then, and this was my pleasure, too. Boys sang in the fields, and at night we all met at the Forge and sang. The chapels were full of singing. When the first war came, it was singing, singing all the time. So I lie; I have had pleasure. I have had singing.
– Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village/Ronald Blythe
Powerful words, aren’t they?
You May Live Longer
I am constantly amazed by the power. Our long term health is a real concern. We try and eat right. We join gyms and buy exercise equipment. But believe it or not, recent research conducted at two institutions you may have heard of – Harvard and Yale – indicates that singing may increase life longevity. So sing a song! It’ll help regulate your breathing, your heart rate, and stimulate your thyroid, which benefits your metabolism. Plus, it’s just plain fun.
Singing Makes your Brain Better
It’s a rather complex act, you know. Singing lights up parts of the brain that are seemingly built for the activity. Tufts University neuroscientist Dr. Aniruddh D. Patel contemplates the ramifications.
“Song combines music and words, and word production is a left hemisphere-biased activity. Perhaps doing lots of singing strengthens the brain networks involved in word production and articulation, in addition to the right hemisphere circuits involved in fine control of pitch and melody.”
Singing certainly increases overall brain health, and we seem to discover additional mental health on a regular basis. Don’t worry – if you miss it, we’ll keep you updated here!
Singing – It’s a Free Face Lift!
Did you know that singing utilizes just about every muscle in the face? It’s true! Singing uses the 43 facial muscles in a more sustained, involved way than talking. Think of it like the difference between walking and dancing – which reminds me of that well known proverb from Zimbabwe…
“If you can walk you can dance, and if you can talk you can sing.”
The act of singing gives a workout not only to the facial muscles, but also the muscles of the neck, torso, and abdomen. I’m not telling you to stop going on those daily walks and replace them with opera arias…just maybe sing while you’re out there. So sing! When you wake up, when you shower, while you’re cooking breakfast, while you’re commuting to work…sing all the time. You’ll be happier and you’ll live longer. You’ll be more aware of your surroundings and you’ll look younger! And get this…singing might help chronic snorers!
And parents who sing have kids who sing. What could be better than that?
